


SPACE PORN ULTRA

by baeconandeggs



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Adventure, Angst, Artificial Intelligence, Crack, Drama, Fantasy, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Mass Murder, Minor Character Death, Robots, Romance, Violence, allusions to self-harm and death, extremely explicit smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-06
Updated: 2019-06-06
Packaged: 2020-04-11 23:00:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 49,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19119454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baeconandeggs/pseuds/baeconandeggs
Summary: Author:jeulchenEx-angel plays an intergalactic porn game with a noob and learns what porn really means:PainOrgasmRomance, andNamanana.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **Prompt:** BAE1536  
>  **Disclaimer: baeconandeggs/the mods is/are not the author/s of this story. Authors will be credited and tagged after reveals.** The celebrities' names/images are merely borrowed and do not represent who the celebrities are in real life. No offense is intended towards them, their families or friends. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this fictional work. No copyright infringement is intended.  
>   
> 
> **Author's Note:** Thank you to the mods for being so understanding and considerate! Thank you for my betas: the powerpuff girls. Blossom, thank you for fixing my wonky grammar. Bubbles, thank you for helping me with my plot and outline. Buttercup, thank you for your meticulous insights and dissection of every detail. Thank you to my honorary betas X, J, and T. It’s an honor to be a part of this fest. Hopefully, this fic will be a decent read!

Date: 10 years before 6140

 

 

"Okay, this again. But you know, I don't believe in angels."

"No one does," he smiled, "except maybe themselves. They're a narcissistic bunch."

The pilot reversed the gear to pull the aircraft up, cruising smooth and steady and arrogant. The blue flares of his gravity flaked against the black sky, and it was a beautiful sight up close, the rainbow on the black metal and the flatness of the depth. 

"Is this about that song? You talking about that song, Macky?" He asked.

The city roared ABBA's I Have A Dream. This is the third week in a row, fifth day today, all those nights and this song, this one specific song. The city seemed to have taken a liking to its optimism, just a bit of cognitive dissonance right there -- the heart of the city.

_I believe in angels_  
Something good in everything I see

Two raven black planes. 

If you asked anyone down below, rowdy in the streets bloodied neon, they'd let you know they called them _fleas_ , mostly because it rhymed with _police_. And there'd be no charge against them. In the greater scheme of things, there were more important problems than locals fighting each other about their partisan views. These were children, forced into servitude for their talent, and the others were the average who got to live with the rules.

The farther the planes flew across the city, the more they bled of cyan, pink, red, and taxi yellow. Neo Seoul was a city that lived and breathed such colors.

_"...and we need to remind the citizens that. The more you contribute to the betterment of the republic, you get better benefits. In essence, it wouldn't be efficient to..."_

The angels on the screen were the same as always. The two child pilots flew past them, but the city was full and painted.

These projections were larger than most living quarters in the city, so they tapered off the corners of the buildings. But there they were, animated faces as big as buildings and forced on the street dwelling crowd. 

There was only one channel -- it was a monopoly on the broadcast and everyone had to watch, even in their closed off seclusion rooms. Most citizens had similar rooms of solid grey walls and ceilings like windows of flat bars and impenetrable glass. The music went through those, no big deal. Each one of the dwellers had no choice but to listen -- the new state-sponsored speakers were really loud and really clear. It was a shared burden and a shared pain.

"Yes, sexual freedom is a reward. An incentive, if you will," said the male, suited angel on the public screen. "Freedom should come with responsibility and education. That's why everyone has to meet the requirements first."

"That's Chad," Macky flew a little faster, "they got Chad on screen. No one likes him. His mom? Nope. Folks down there, nope."

Most of the dwellers down below paid the broadcast no mind, as they went about their night lives, nothing much too different from their day lives. They were all dressed utilitarian, button up bodysuits in various shades of murky as they did their manual labor. But they were clean, and they were beautiful. They made way for the white and red colors of the loyal to show up and stand out in the crowd. 

"Vroom, vroom." The other plane overtook Macky, and the pilot casually hummed in a sing-song manner, "I'm getting promoted tomorrow."

Macky shrugged it off with childish pride. "They really must like you."

"They said something about preserving my talent, for the good of the future."

"Nah, Chanyeol. Keep your talent to yourself, please, buddy," Macky chuckled airily just before they entered a marked field, beams of light directed on them like a spotlight. A special gate opened. "Maybe they'd get you a girlfriend for that."

The target was close -- they were a few breaths away from landing -- so the pilots laid their gloved fingers on the lights in the control glass. Each touch registered with a low click and a sharp turn. 

"I'd rather not. I don't care," Chanyeol drove the ship forward, until he made a gutsy dive. It was fast and smooth and it looked effortless, like a sky performer more than a soldier.

Quiet flights. 

A minute more, and they circled the perimeter like elegant sharks, and then they landed quietly on the marked area, which was closed off to the rest of the public. From the outside looking in, it was a space only meant for authority and pilots.

Not everyone landed alive, after all.

After overseeing two successful landings, white and red wheels came towards the two boys' way, higher officers riding on these hollow sphere vehicles with stern, barely animated faces.

Without delay, they asked for observations, numbers and opinions. They asked for the quality of the air and the system, and if the kids had arrested someone today. If they had, was it their own or was it one of the useless robots working in the red market? Young or old? What class citizen? 

These are the questions they laid down everyday, so repetitive they have become the bulk of the anxiety and the driving force of the judgment. And with these answers, the angels consulted their provisional rubrics, then they evaluated each child's quality as they would their meat. Once again, Chanyeol impressed the officers, and he was allowed one free night that he started by waving a sad Macky goodbye.

He didn't want to leave him there, but he already snuck him out a few times this week. There had to be a buffer day, so he bet on the chance that Macky would understand.

"Chanyeol, you asshole."

He probably would, someday. 

So, Chanyeol. That was his name when he wasn't being called _good boy_. Off to the streets he went, in the same olive green jumper as many of the boys in the city. Sleeves cut short, yellow square patches were the pops of color that made him blend into the rigorous, almost violent color museum that was this city at night. His pants were tucked into leather combat boots, a cross keychain hanging off its laces for the aesthetics. This garment was comfortable and easy to move in, much more than the training suits trainees were vacuumed into that were supposedly designed for maximum mobility. Chanyeol's soft black hair fell gently on his blue eyes. 

Whenever he looked at the people, his hands in his pockets, they immediately knew that he's a smart boy sent to the planes to become one of _them_.

But a few meters more into the cityscape, the boy had his attention on the red-yellow booth, an old one on the lower-end of the storefront hierarchy this part of town. On top of it was a signboard reading "Mirai Electronics." That neon board's nearing the end of its lifespan.

The remarkable thing about this store was not its bleakness, or how well-documented its journey of salesmanship was. Chanyeol remembered going into this store and seeing nothing but unattractive, state-sponsored devices. It was not the store itself. 

It was that it had a long line of people more so than usual. It took a lot to fascinate these folks in an unchanging market. On its front, the cheap products were on display. 

[Basic Neurotransmitters for 10 local dice.]

They have been on sale for a while now. 

Why the sudden patronage? He looked around with focused eyes, the answer might be the small-scale projection on display.

"Space Porn Ultra: High-Tech Sexual Experience for Free. Now available in Z Colony: Terrah."

"Huh," Chanyeol blinked for a moment. 

_Makes sense. It's releasing today? Took this city long enough._

The young pilot thought this was one of the more predictable inventions, since it involved the use of cheap technology to simulate sexual sensations that most of the population are prohibited to experience physically. Chanyeol glanced at the Class F's -- easy to tell who they were from the brands on their skin -- and the joy in their eyes, the anticipation that caused the tremors in their fingers, were out there for the world to see. Every second, there were multiple images of their unanimous joy.

Once, there were photographers raised to capture these specific events-- they were educated to take moments and frame them as a statement of history and emotion. In the moment, though, it just seemed trivial. Maybe memories are made to age.

_It must be exciting for them, go figure._

It turned out to be a relatively accurate assessment, because a generic factory robot has crashed onto Chanyeol, mumbling what sounded like, _"bumped into a kid 'cause I'm too excited to feel feelings, beep boop."_

Chanyeol saw something shiny on the pavement, so he quickly grabbed it and called, "hey, this too. You dropped it."

The robot turned around as its spherical eyes popped out. When it recognized the item, the gears in his face turned into a smile made out of two perpendicular cones.

"Ah, thanks. That too, mister. I need that," said the robot as it grabbed the ring with its claw and ran off.

Chanyeol simply sighed, absently scratching his sore nape. He decided he has had enough today, and then he began to run the opposite direction, his steps making puddles of rainwater splash into multi-colored drops. His well-trained body was reckless as it navigated the bright city. How flawless, the colors reflected off him that in one energetic sprint, he's a fixture in the landscape. 

It won't be until morning that everyone goes back to being lonely.

 

 

Chanyeol lived in a comfortable house, one of anyone's dream.

Just the right split between comfort and prison, which is the best combination you could ask for if you wanted to be protected from the outside _and_ the inside.

Instead of grey, like the other urban poverty-stricken houses, it was painted a striking white, red lining its edges in subtle reference to the favorite colors of the angels. The furnitures inside were cubical, space-efficient and made for humanoids, at least. Truly, it was a generic house made for convenience and uniformity for those who could afford it. The only thing that made it charming and not _that_ pretentious were the inhabitants: a young, emotionless kid and his expressive robot sister.

How Chanyeol had a robot sister, it was a simple story, actually. When he became old enough to understand, he realized that things can be implanted to obedient robots. That included the memory of those long gone.

On a lighter note, and Chanyeol has been thinking about this for a while: if they had a cat -- emphatic animal only the top citizens could afford -- maybe that would change things, make things a little more cheerful. This thought must appear like it came from nowhere, and that's because it did. Animals were mythical beings in this planet from how rare they were. Still, Chanyeol's dream was to see one, and caress its rumored magical healing fur. Alongside that dream, he made sure to wish that he wasn't allergic to them. That would just be bad luck.

This city was simpleminded too. This city was a muted painting they had to soak in color, and it usually worked as a solution to problems. Being colorful meant you had a lot of problems solved, by that logic. For example, this catalog in Chanyeol's hands was full of colorful images showing the small, emphatic beast called "Cat", presented on a streamlined layout.

Name: Cat  
Class: Very Emphatic Beast According To Customer Reviews(VEBAtCR)  
Pros: Not too clingy (a balance between distance and affection). Easy to feed. Couch space filler (if you have a big house). Senses evil. Can give constructive criticism. Has nine lives.  
Cons: Possible creative differences with owner

But they ran at 5 million dices per adoption, and perhaps, that's the reason why becoming a pilot was an option for Chanyeol. There's a lot of utility and value in the little things that made the literal suffering under the rule of aliens a bit more bearable each day. 

"Chanyeol, you're looking at the cats?"

Robot noises. Chanyeol leaned back, laying the catalog flat on his lap. _That's her._

Yoora's voice was warm and resonant, its genuine concern had overruled the static of her voicebox. Chanyeol couldn't help but hide the catalog from view, although hiding it from her was a choice that made no sense -- she already knew. The first few times, she told him her memories of holding a stray in her hands. The texture of the material was just a myth now.

She scampered to where Chanyeol was, her footsteps quiet. Chanyeol's face softened.

It's night, almost midnight, and the rain was quiet, soft enough for the ears, soft enough to cushion the sudden silence.

"The food is on the table," she cheered characteristically.

He gave her a quick, concerned glance. "Why are you still awake, Yoora?"

"I was worried, worried sick," she laughed robotically, but the heart was there. The way her limbs moved, they were accompanied by metallic sounds as a consequence of how she was made. "You're awake too, you should be sleeping or you won't grow taller."

His glance turned curious with a slight hint of worry. She giggled, her eyelids closing into a half-crescent. She then made steps to be closer, metal on tiles, until the immaculate white couch barely dipped with her minimal weight. No creases at all. Despite being made of metal, she was so small. 

"How was your day?" He started.

"I met someone nice today." She was happy.

Chanyeol smiled, a little weirded-out and curious. 

Yoora, she was smitten. "She told me I felt warm."

"I don't know where you met, but you were safe, right?"

She tilted her head. "I was very safe. Don't worry about me. Told you, I don't have pain receptors or anything of the sort."

Chanyeol leaned down on the comfortable couch, his smile nonchalant yet relieved. Part of the work was so his sister would be safe from a lot of things, like discomfort and danger. She used to work herself, but her motor functions started to fail, and she would lose parts over the slightest weights. Most of the work outside involved those weights.

It's okay, though. It's fine.

"How about you? How was your day, Chanyeol?"

He closed his eyes and sighed gently. This question, he didn't want to be too tight-lipped about it. "I did well," as a matter of fact, "I'm getting promoted tomorrow. A new ship, and a tighter uniform," he snorted and so did she.

"That's so nice!" She clapped her hands moments after she had her soft chuckles. "Can I wear a dress?"

"Go."

"'Kay. I'll wear a dress. I think, I'll wear the blue one."

"You seem happier than I expected."

"Of course, it's my dream. This goes exactly like my dream." 

Chanyeol's eyes softened when he felt her cold, twitchy hand patting his head. 

So robots dreamed.

"I dreamt about pictures. Mom and dad were there," her words were soft whistles and they were pleasant, audible comfort, "we all were putting the medal on you. Chanyeol graduated today, from school."

"School?"

"Uh-huh. They had those back then, and we wanted you in one. You'd be the best among the kids, at making friends that is. Because you were such a gentle boy, and we all loved you."

The kid sighed a little -- he released his breath to cope. This was relaxing, the soft rain and the scent of it as it fell. Yoora would've loved it if she had the senses.

She continued. "You're our pride. Even now, you are Yoora's pride." And then she stopped. He let the words sink in for a bit, thoughtful. Patient. Enough.

"Thank you," he thought and he said, out loud, "you should sleep. So you can dream some more."

She shook her head modestly, as she found inexplicable peace in watching her fingers twitch without her input. The siblings spent the next minutes thinking to the sound of rain. The violent roars of thunder were sprinkled throughout those minutes -- nowadays, this degree of rainfall was so normal, it became comforting.

"I'm sorry I couldn't show you a cat."

"Huh? No, no," Chanyeol sat up, waving his hands and he saw her downcast expression. "To tell you the truth, I don't think they exist anymore," the teen spoke flatly, but he kept a civil smile.

"Then why are you working so hard for one?" Yoora then patted her younger brother's cheek with her cold hand. "You shouldn't push yourself too hard."

With a defeated grin, Chanyeol shrugged. "I like to think that real empathy exists. Cats just seemed like, they'd have a lot of empathy."

Yoora tilted her head, the corner of her lips upturned.

"Robots, too," Chanyeol mumbled softly, "a lot of creatures do, but not those angels."

The older girl sighed, and it was a sigh of admiration. "Us robots, we don't feel a lot of things. We don't fear a lot of things."

"Yeah," Chanyeol leaned back, resting his tired shoulders as his eyelids became heavier in time with the rainfall.

"Except happiness," Yoora giggled, "its usually because our hardware can't take the sudden explosion of warmth."

 

 

 

 

 

The ceremony was during the morning that followed. It was a rainy morning, the water had bled from last night and they became the pretty reflections that persisted throughout the journey here.

This empty space's ceiling was a window, but it was as grey as the wall. The sky was grey, that day, not before.

Chanyeol learned that morning, that the government only flew those ships that trailed red fire when they celebrated natural angels. That much was obvious from all the golden eyes that looked up to him, fully participating in the paradox of the situation. They would never look up to him.

The stage of honor for him was not decorated or given any attention, but Chanyeol stood with his uniform, perfect and ready to be observed by many pairs of eyes, multiples of them in one face. His superior, the great Captain BB, was right by his side, his eyes a unique silver, his skin having certain patterns that were too alien to comprehend. It was rather captivating.

Chanyeol was the only one receiving the honor today, thus he was the only human there. 

"Chanyeol from Terrah, Neo Seoul. The Arcangel welcomes you as a helper of peace, a bridge between angels and worthy dwellers," they cheer, "With our approval, you're above your peers, you're honorable and poised to help them realize their fullest potential," they proclaimed, cold and sinister. Chanyeol still felt some gratification from the fact that they needed a human, if that mattered. He waited patiently until it's over.

The formal ceremony ended when they gave him a jagged, bio-mechanical badge on a silver tray, which is covered in a certain oily residue. This was the type you had sown onto your body, and it becomes a physical part of you -- an extension of your mind and your pain. There were other types, too, some of them meant to be ingested and some of them as visible as a body modification up to an arm's length.

This one looked like a flat, murky spider. 

Chanyeol had looked around with a smile on his face, wanting to know if Yoora saw how stupid and ugly it was, but her little robot face was nowhere to be found among the aliens. Then again, the perspective wouldn't help him show it off, and it's pretty much the only thing it's good for.

_She must be at the back. In the waiting room._

He left the stage with understated excitement. All these days he spent working, just for this one badge. Of course, what mattered were the things it entailed, like the rights and the free pass from crime. That didn't change the fact that it was an accurate micro-scale representation of how the angels made them fight for something so despicable.

So he went there, in the sterile waiting room, fresh from the celebration. Yoora was there, dying.

Little sparks in her eyes, like blue cosmic glitters. 

They had a certain lively, lightning-like glow to them. They used to be lightly reflected on her pupils to begin with, but now, they were just really distant, just so far away. 

For a moment, it was all Chanyeol could focus on. 

He didn't want to focus on anything else.

All the other moments after, were merely an echo of this one.

It was a significant part of it, that he didn't think about the past. He just thought about what he had now, and it's this scene where she laid there on a stool, broken and effectively dead.

This is what he had now, and what he will have in the future.

"Yoora? Why?" He called.

Fuck no, she's dead. There's no fixing that. Chanyeol knew, from all the dead robots he saw before. In one second, he just felt too tired to even think. He felt the shortness of his breath.

He was just so tired.

_Maybe if I got here a little earlier._ He thought.

_Maybe if I killed those fucking demons._ He thought.

_Maybe if we weren't born here, and my real sister hadn't died, I wouldn't care for a robot._ He thought, as he stood still. He didn't know what to do next. 

He had no goals left anymore for that kind of forward-thinking.

As he went mad inside, Chanyeol turned around to see a familiar face making amused noises, and he could feel bubbles under his skin. That's how the emptiness tapped into him and turned his vision red.

"She used it?" Macky asked. He might as well say it was a pity. This guy was so amused.

"Used what?"

"The neurotransmitters from yesterday," Macky stepped into the room, shoulders lax and tension nonexistent. Chanyeol felt like the clueless one for the first time. Though it was more like a moment of denial and a desire for blissful ignorance.

"They spiked it. It was an opportunity to get rid of the F's, they spiked it," he tapped her cold head, her face didn't move. The kids knew a dead robot when they see one. "If not a good shock, a logic virus."

"You should've told me."

"You were getting promoted. I didn't want to ruin your fun. Besides, how would I know your robot's gonna be excited about that," Macky chuckled, "since you have a new job, a new ship. Get a new robot."

"Her memories aren't backed up. She was an old model, from my parents."

"I'm sorry, man. Everyone's parents are just assholes."

His friend had this energetic bounce to his movements, and invited Chanyeol outside for some sightseeing. 

Chanyeol wordlessly followed, trying to process what this feeling was. He has never been defeated before, nor did he ever lose. He allowed himself the feeling of coping with this new emotion.

It took him full sight of the festivities outside to understand.

Angels were hard at work today, wheeling mechanical bodies and _primitive_ , biological bodies in every direction. 

There were a lot of fireworks on land. Similar to Yoora, they produced blue sparks that were simply breathtaking when reflected on the puddles of rainwater. Yellow tapes lined the streets with a bold border, keeping tourists on their lanes. A new color was introduced to Neo Seoul that day -- burnt red. 

A little bit of pink, too. Mostly found where their brains met the jacked up neurotransmitters. 

Chanyeol thought it was like a colorful rebellion, because of all the new colors that day that fought with the ones the city was born with. These illuminated, made the city shine and showed Chanyeol the other ways it could be painted. It made Chanyeol think about how these colors looked outside the planet.

"Woah, they got rid of a lot."

"You think they're in heaven?" Chanyeol chuckled under his breath. That said, maybe he should also get a new gun, and a new planet.

Space Porn Ultra

Date: 6140

 

"So you're here to help me?" Baekhyun asked, his words breaking the silence in an almost empty room. 

Before he spoke, the only thing separating him and the tall stranger was the tension set on a background of multicolored pastel lights. In three-dimensions, their figures were detailed and realistic, but gave off a certain uncanny presence.

Maybe it's the helmet.

Baekhyun did think that.

He's looking at him. _Maybe it is. Nothing else seemed out of place._ What he's seeing in front of him seemed right in line with a typical space fantasy.

The stranger slightly tipped his head down. The lights hit the pitch black helmet, showing off its hidden colors with one subtle movement. The next ones painted more colors to the elegant, perfect black.

Disinterested. That's the vibe Baekhyun got.

Or he could just be a really chill guy.

In his sleek, all-black tracksuit lined at the sides with neon blue edges, the stranger stood confident and Baekhyun could get his _air_.

Space Porn Administrator "JD" told Baekhyun his name. He went by the username "Blitz".

If Baekhyun wanted to know more, he'd have to ask.

 

Flashback.

 

"Is that his real name?"

"No. It's just his username. Just like how Blackhole69 is your username."

The non-artificial one of the two sighed after waiting a beat -- he was taking a moment to decide whether he should ignore the embarrassing username the randomizer gave him, or comment on it. Whichever one alleviated shame best would be ideal. Then again, JD is an AI. Even if he tried to initiate a conversation, JD wouldn't have opinions. 

(That's a line Baekhyun's superiors would throw as a punchline when they had no jokes left. He's simply at peace with it because he never really thought it was true.)

"So this Blitz is another player?" Baekhyun could feel the texture of the metal bands as they coiled around him, but he couldn't feel his body. It's completely shut off. Soon, his sight was filled with symbolic displays of the game's status and a little, moving character appearing at the corner.

[You're in.]

These are constant ticking numbers, rendered in low opacity against the colorful but empty structure of the room.

Speaking of the room -- it was a box. You could tell there are walls, and they stop at some point below the line of sight. The room, to say the least, was appropriately sized for what it was.

"I chose the user you're most compatible with, so they can help you get used to the movement mechanics as soon as possible. Standard protocol."

"So you found my match from the whole server?"

"No. Only from those who volunteer."

"Oh," there was a detectable shift in the rookie's voice. "I hope it's accurate."

"Dearest player, do not fret, our matching algorithm has been awarded the best among its peers at one point in time."

"I know," Baekhyun mused, "but how many decades ago was that..."

"Whatever." 

"What?" 

"The system is loading...

The system is loading...

"Enjoy Space Porn Ultra. Trust Space Porn Ultra. Hail Space Porn Ultra."

Baekhyun simply watched the AI execute its protocol. To describe what JD looked like on the digital screen, he was a device made out of a thin wire coiled into a loop with the excess untrimmed, just jammed inside. Also known as "Johan Vaalerian Büroklammer". Given a few moments, Baekhyun deduced that JD most likely did not humor questions about the game's age. Because if Space Porn Ultra was old, then so was him. Baekhyun felt bad, but the nervousness outweighed the guilt. 

One thing's for sure, though. He can't wait to start moving.

JD explained the whole thing like a very thorough manual rather than a teacher. In this game, you can interact with other players across the galaxy and arrange sexual events, protected entirely by the game's universally acclaimed P.O.R.N technology. 

"I-It's an acronym...?"

"Because PORN is meaningful and deep. Very deep. Extremely deep. Hopefully."

The lines poured out like those blurbs at the back of game boxes. The good thing was that JD had a pleasant voice to make up for it. One that spoke carefully and clearly. For legal reasons, most likely.

He explained more: the game simply needs a computer with decent specifications and a neurotransmitter to give in-game commands that control movements that are also in-game. A game. _This is a game._

"And then use the combined commands repeatedly for the sex part. Similar to playing a mindless fighting game and mashing one button hoping it works."

"You're a very blunt AI, aren't you?"

"Sharp things hurt. So I'm just happy to be blunt."

Because all of the game's processing power was allotted to its realistic simulation of external and internal sensations, the other aspects of the game are built with "state-of-the-art minimalism." In other words, basic. Less automation.

Old.

Garbage compared to the rest of the universe.

The gist of it was that.

For the last step, JD gave a rundown of the controls in what Baekhyun thought was the tutorial. But since Baekhyun found out there's another tutorial after that -- one with a "partner" - he thought this would be better called the tutorial-tutorial. Not to be confused with the tutorial- _tutorial_ , the one with a partner. Because movement is just that complex and difficult.

Should it be?

In here, the mind is the pilot, the body the vehicle. Moving the body required an algorithmic, step-by-step thought process. One that operates constantly, consistently. Sequentially. At the same time, broken down and harmonious together.

How good does one have to be, then, to make mechanical sex feel good?

As he sat on that chair, Baekhyun thought how nice it would be if he were to meet a pilot. Or an engineer. Surely, a universe as big as this had something good to offer.

It's only a question if he can meet one.

Flashback end.

"Blitz, I'm..." Baekhyun started, eyes on the striking Blitz who walked forward, natural and effortless. As if movement didn't require a single thought. From all the exposition earlier, an expert at moving was bound to show up. Baekhyun should've known.

But in front of him, almost illustrious, was a pilot who seemed alive in the best way possible. It was one, good show of control.

Baekhyun braced himself.

He wanted to make a good first impression, too. There is no better medium than words to communicate how much of a cool person he was.

A chance at a good impression only presents itself once. And he'll take it.

"I g-guess my name is _Blackhole_ , yaha." 

_Perfect._

"..."

"..."

For his genuine efforts, all he got was silence.

"...Blackhole?" 

Blitz spoke. His first note, his first vibration. He sounded confused.

"...69..."

"Blackhole69."

"Yes."

"...Oh, boy."

Baekhyun cleared his throat. 

_Blitz's voice was nice even when disappointed._ It's deep, but it had a genuine gentle quality. The way his inflections sound, they make him seem like a good friend. 

Baekhyun thought about commenting on it, just to start a small conversation and distract him from the embarrassing state of affairs, but he was caught off guard when he saw Blitz's helmet disintegrating.

_That isn't in the manual._

"Wait. Don't take that off--"

The segments of the helmet dispersed in black, blue, and pink diamonds across its material, slowly revealing Blitz's face. With this, the game has showed Baekhyun a large fraction of the experience. This fake reality wasn't just play, and this was proof.

It's objectively beautiful to the point of surrealism.

Blitz. And the game enabling him.

Baekhyun had no grounds to deny nothing. What he's seeing was more than a still image, the way it moves was just like real life. Perhaps even more.

Blitz spoke then.

So someone's breath was taken away.

 

 

"I'd hate it if I had to moan that name. That's a really inconvenient name."

The tall male suddenly looked down, seemingly surprised by what he, himself said unprompted. 

"I mean, it could be worse. Anyway, I'm Blitz."

With that, his expression changed from puzzled to friendly. His smile in particular, was so damn soft it felt like a cold breeze.

_What's going on? He's beautiful._

Baekhyun admitted. 

Reasons irrelevant, this sight made him feel _feelings_ and he hated it.

_In his head, there was a resounding echo of "Please stop drooling."_ Every single cell in his body knew that this was an extreme reaction to a pair of ice blue eyes and a significant amount of ears. It was like he had never seen a supernova up close before.

Baekhyun looked at Blitz once more, with the excuse of checking for an antennae on him. There's none. There's a possibility of an internal antennae, he reminded himself. Maybe underneath the soft black hair. Or the soft plump lips. The lips could be an antennae.

_Right. That makes sense. It's probably why he's so gorgeous, genius._ Any excuse would do if it meant he could stare at him, it seemed.

Noticing the new player's ominous silence, Blitz tilted his head to offer a look of concern, locks of slicked back hair falling softly on his forehead. 

"Is there something wrong? You stopped talking."

"You talk like a person, so I was just..."

"You expected what?" He giggled. "Meow?"

Look, he's sassy. _Just because he's this pretty._ Baekhyun cleared his throat.

"...Y-Your face..." He continued with a resonant, tone-neutral voice.

"My face?"

"Please hide it. Or else."

Blitz's expression was condensed, pure confusion at the threat -- the way his brows furrowed and mouth hung open looked genuine. To Baekhyun, this image was exponentially becoming more charming and adorable with every iteration.

The rookie breathed before uttering a word, knowing that he had to keep himself in check as best as he could.

"You're supposed to protect your identity. But your face is showing. It's very exposed right now, Sir Blitz. Please have some respect."

(Baekhyun didn't know what was going on in Blitz's side of the situation. The thing was, Blitz didn't expect things to get this bad. He thought he'd seen the worst of awkward meetings, until he saw _this_. But he can't just leave things like so, he had to fix things for both of their sake.)

"Or is that...Is that a fake face...?" Blackhole69 questioned nervously with a small voice, trying his best in an attempt to prevent all possible circumstantial displays of stupidity. "I'm sorry, I'm new. If it's a mask, then that's a very handsome mask you got there. I need one. Not necessarily your face, another face. But I love your face, just saying. It's just, the _craftsmanship._ Wow."

In response, Blitz had his brow raised for a few moments before he cautiously supplied a small, polite smile. "...Thanks."

"Must've been very expensive. Hmm!"

The player's grin to that was lopsided and roguish. "Well, yes. You're looking at more than a decade of receiving love confessions, local and intergalactic."

"What a durable mask, Sir Blitz."

"Sure. It's why I never tried to remove it. I was born with it. They called me Magical Masked Man, MMM for short."

The self-proclaimed masked man waited a beat for a reaction. He didn't get one. Then again, sarcasm wasn't a universal language yet. That, or Baekhyun felt offended.

"Just so you know," he ran his hand through his hair for a moment, "this is my real face. Under your mask, that's your real face, too. Players are stuck with their real form in here. It's part of the ground rules." 

He spelled it out, anything to get a reaction while he walked closer. He did get one, and it's a small, admittedly cute sound. It was a suppressed, oddly panicked "Eek!" in Blackhole69's voice. So unexpectedly squeaky, in contrast to Blackhole's natural, raspy voice. Blitz found it nice, and it showed in his expression.

"That's why they make us wear these helmets, Black. To hide the real thing," his steps made soft soundbytes against the floor. He seemed to be checking something that is out of Baekhyun's fixed view.

"You mean..." The rookie's voice was back to normal with a tiny hint of hesitance. "I'm wearing a mask right now? I probably am, but I can't see it. Only you can."

"Right."

"Why did you show me your face, Blitz?"

"I wanted you to like me fast."

Baekhyun had no reaction.

_Fuck, he didn't expect that._

(He didn't know what he expected, but it was definitely less than that.)

Blitz was aloof as he paced around the seat, at times looking off to the walls of the room which has started to show more than just dusts of light. There were faint images projected onto the flat surfaces, colored and layered, with depths extending to the back. Some looked like regular space sightings, others looked like images taken from certain planets.

"It would be better for the both of us if we're comfortable right away. It's a sex game after all. Let's just get on it with it." Blitz shrugged. He faced the seat, returning to Baekhyun's sight with a pointed gaze, "you get it, right? I trust you with my identity."

"I get it. Wait, wha, you trust me?" Baekhyun paused. "Thank you?"

Blitz smiled again, showing off his cute face. "Cool."

"One thing," Baekhyun mumbled, breath hitching a little at Blitz's soft attention. "I should remove this helmet too, then. I should. It's not, anything like...The feelings of immediate familiarity and affection should be mutual, in my humble opinion."

"It already is."

"See, I knew you'd say that. That's what everyone says. Even though we just met. You don't know me that much yet..."

"The username tells me a lot," Blitz chuckled, "I am very comfortable with you. Completely won over. Ten over ten. Funny guy and we're friends now."

It was a very good point. Blackhole69 told a lot of stories in every letter. And number.

"Still..."

"Please don't worry," the veteran player looked to the side before sighing lowly, "you don't have to show me your face," Blitz cocked his head, amused. Baekhyun felt weirdly safe.

"It's unfair to you."

"I'm fine with it. You're the one who needs the comfort."

Quietly, Baekhyun dwelled on that. He tried to rationalize the fact that he thought the gesture was excessively doting for a stranger. Maybe some guys just found the sentiment natural.

"So, you tried it yet?" The veteran player moved his fingers while looking at the stationary Baekhyun, showing off how effortlessly he can pull off his movements.

"It seems difficult."

"It is, like everything with the first try." He then raised his hand, parallel to Baekhyun's line of sight. 

"Let's start with the finger."

He clenched his fist, before he extended his index finger. After that, he placed his hand over Baekhyun's motionless one. Baekhyun could only watch.

"Focus on this."

Blitz tapped a joint. There was barely any contact, but what Baekhyun felt made him speechless. There was an actual, electrifying spark from that pointed touch.

"Step by step. 

From your head, down your body. 

The signal will feel tangible. Concrete.

Lead it to this one specific point using pure willpower, you know what I mean."

Blitz breathed deeply. 

"Where I'm touching you."

Baekhyun listened carefully. It then occurred to him that in this state of paralysis -- a total absence of ability -- Blitz was the one who will help him get it back.

"Push the signal until it gets to your hand, then pull it up by inhaling sharply."

Deep breaths. Baekhyun's deep breaths were audible, but he put his mind into obedience. He could feel results, but in this state, any result is foreign and to say it simply.

Frightening.

There were no immediate risks involved. But there was the possibility of a longer time in a state of paralysis. Each second made it more unbearable, as he gradually pieced things together.

"Don't rush," Blitz reminded with an alert look.

"I'm not rushing."

"Really, take your time, dude."

_Dude._

"I'm not rushing. It's just the wind making my hand tremble like a newborn worm."

"If you say so. But I'm free the whole day, so I'm stuck here anyway," Blitz mumbled.

"Oh, okay." Baekhyun hummed playfully. "I won't be considerate anymore. Now watch me do this successfully...any time now....any time now......"

His breath hitched when he heard an innocent, almost childish giggle that was strangely, not too out of place. Blitz's face lent him a boyish appeal for a free pass to act this spontaneous.

"I love watching nothing," his sarcasm was dripping again.

"I'm doing it," the rookie deadpanned pettily, "you're just mean."

"Maybe."

Blitz's curious smile was something Baekhyun missed out on when he resumed his attempts to understand the controls.

While Baekhyun focused on doing the manual transmissions successfully, in the back of his mind he began to realize that the act still felt like how it does in real life. The only difference was each tiny micro-movement was drawn out into impossible seconds, which was why it was a percentage more taxing on the mind.

For some reason, though, just the act of pulling his finger up, made Baekhyun's chest tighten and his senses up.

As if, the absence of his real body made this one single transmission more than it should be. It's loud in the silence of numb body. 

From his brain, he felt the saturated heat trail down -- fast and consistent. Actually tangible. Tight and snug, as if an invisible, internal cord was fitted for that one particle energy, to pressure it as it glides down. The signal traveled further and further way from the source, shocking everything in its way.

Slithering, leaving residue.

It takes endurance to see it to its end, that much was clear. The one line it traveled felt like hot liquid streaming under the skin. It gets hotter and hotter with time until it reaches the tip.

It's just moving a finger.

One finger.

Baekhyun's eyes widen in understanding.

Just a few centimeters and his finger will bend.

Tighter.

Tighter.

_"Nice."_

Blitz tapped the joint again, and Baekhyun gasped.

"Easy. You okay?" The tutor smoothed down Baekhyun's hand for a quick moment, his face showing mild concern with the way his eyes are alert and focused. His breathing was almost unnoticeable. 

"What was that?"

"...You did it very well. You're a really fast learner," Blitz pursed his lips, the small curve at the corners hinting at his true thoughts, "it's really rare."

"Not that, not...I almost..." Baekhyun stopped to collect his thoughts. 

There was a word for it. Saying it out loud didn't seem like the better option. But Baekhyun, at that point, wanted to know what the game really was doing to his body. He thought about possible gains and possible losses. And then he chose to say it out loud.

_"I almost had an orgasm."_

Blitz didn't react. He just blinked at the new player whose voice strained. 

Realizing the sensations were there, even if the movements weren't -- it is in this disconnect that most players start to understand how the game works. It was telling, how Blitz reacted as if it's the most normal thing he's heard.

"Then you're doing it correctly."

Blitz mumbled simply as he patted the rookie's head. 

(Baekhyun could see his heart rate increase at the corner of the screen, flashing numbers ticking upwards for some reason.)

"Thanks for telling me. If you're comfortable, please keep doing so. It helps me know what you feel. Should we move on?"

Blitz looked straight at Baekhyun, before twisting his own wrist. Fast and quick. A swift twist one after another. 

"Now, you." 

"The twisting...it's..."

"Feels nice, right?"

"Sure. Nice!"

Baekhyun's arm was trembling uncontrollably. 

"Alright, easy," Blitz licked his lips. "How can I help?"

"Can you stabilize it? Like, can you hold it? I don't know, just, something."

"Alright, I'll hold it. By 'it', you mean the arm?"

"W-What else! The hand?"

"Should I hold your hand?"

"The arm, the arm, Blitz!"

Blitz chuckled as he held the necessary parts. Baekhyun was able to twist his wrist shakily. He did it again, and again, trying to get a feel for it. Each trial turned out better than the last, earning a small, impressed smile from the experienced player and a buzzing, focused noise from Baekhyun that was easy to miss.

Baekhyun reached a point where the tremors completely stopped, and Blitz didn't miss that.

"Hey, let's rest for a bit." 

He let go, pressing Baekhyun's arm down gently and stepping back for little distance. Baekhyun then had his eyes on him, observant and conscious.

"Are you bored?" 

"No, just proud," Blitz mumbled with a hint of slyness.

Baekhyun released a hesitant sigh of relief, obviously unsure, and it added to Blitz's amusement. The unmasked male stepped twice on the floor by Baekhyun's seat, the soundbytes louder than before -- even echoing as it rippled outwards the surface area.

"Can I sit right here?"

"Yeah, go."

"Okay...There," Blitz plopped on the floor nonchalantly. "You look young, Black. Why did you come here?"

"You can call me Baekhyun. It's my real name."

"Baekhyun," Blitz spoke clearly with a serious expression. The name off his tongue sounded correct.

Baekhyun remained silent, possibly regretting it, but Blitz thought it was the perfect moment to tease him.

"What's up?" He cocked his head, innocent face for show. "Almost got an orgasm?" 

"H-Hey!" Baekhyun's voice masked a layer of hurt. "Don't make fun of me. I definitely did not react that strongly to your deep voice saying my name deeply."

"Right," Blitz mumbled, wondering if he sounded sarcastic enough. 

"Anyway, I'll tell you."

"That makes me so happy." 

Baekhyun grumbled. "Well, you know, I've heard from the outskirts..." Baekhyun moved one finger in emphasis. It was pathetically wiggly. "From the bars -- they said that Space Porn Ultra is the best when it comes to...virtual seeex."

"Sex."

"Y-Yeah. They rave that as much as it is old, it's also a raw experience."

"If it's sex, raw is better," Blitz said with a darling face.

"Oh. Sure, yeah," Baekhyun sighed softly. "I guess that's why I'm here. Because I...want raw...rawness. Huh, I'm embarrassing."

Blitz was subtle. He played easy and confident, but that's just the surface, and Baekhyun could tell. For some reason, the rookie thought that having no movements or expressions has greatly benefited him. He didn't have to control his expressions this way.

"You? Why are you here?" He asked, wanting to shift the focus. The other leaned back on his arms, relaxed, definitely expecting the question.

"...Same reason. It's interesting."

Baekhyun hummed, sounding sulky, so Blitz spoke more.

"It's just an easy solution," Blitz said flatly, "it makes meeting people from other planets easy. JD matched you with compatible players too, and I have this growing suspicion that he's actually a Cupid. "

Blitz placed the tip of his finger on his lip, giving Baekhyun a sultry look. "Which means...."

His eyes gleamed when he heard that "Eek!" sound again. Hearing it here and there really was giving Blitz an understated, good time.

"...So you're as embarrassing as me."

"If that makes you feel better."

There was a moment when Blitz simply looked at him, looking thoughtful, like he was going through a lot of thoughts at once. And then he propped himself up.

"I'll show you something cool," his voice trailed lower while his icy blue eyes turned piercing as soon as his eyelids closed halfway, as if they "but first, can I touch you?"

"Touch me? Where?"

"You have a specific place in mind? I can deal with that."

"N-No. Touch me anywhere. Anywhere is fine," Baekhyun huffed.

Blitz smiled reassuringly, liking what he heard, and then he placed a hand a few inches above Baekhyun's knee.

Casual. Unbothered. Just the tip of his fingers. And then he laid his hand flat.

Only then did Baekhyun's whole body move. 

His whole body trembled and shook.

All of a sudden, alive.

And kicking.

Literally.

When the aftershock settled in and he got back his control, Baekhyun began to pant, unable to process what happened. 

(Blitz slowly peeked between his fingers -- checking if Baekhyun is still kicking.) 

Baekhyun noticed then, how his chest heaved in sync with his blood pumping. How he felt the cold tears on his eyes trail down after his eyes blinked. How his mouth hung open in disbelief. 

For the longest time, no movement. Then, all at once, his body contracted. 

Blitz, satisfied, rested his cheek on Baekhyun's thigh.

His eyes were filled with a specific motive. Expectant, yet playful. 

"How's it?" 

He drawled, voice much deeper than before. It almost raised Baekhyun's heart rate by a significant increment, every second he looked at him like that. 

"How does my weight feel on you?"

The question lingered. 

"This is the thing. That thing," Blitz explained, "That intense feeling earlier, that might be my fault. Sorry. Moving feels nice. Now touching..."

He closed his eyes. With his gentle smile, he looked seductive.

"This feeling is why they like it here.

Why I like it here."

At this point, the air around them has changed into one of shifting control. How long this mind game has being going on, Baekhyun wasn't sure.

But he was aware of it. Maybe he's playing into it all along.

In light of that, he simply watched as the numbers on his sight flashed as they decreased in value. He watched and waited with his newfound breath.

He cleared his caught-up throat when he was finally able to put his feelings into words. Blitz's eyes shone with anticipation and interest. 

Baekhyun took a deep breath.

"...Blitz, you flirting with me?"

"...Huh?"

The disappointed face has become Baekhyun's favorite.

"You should be helping me learn how to move."

"Didn't you learn just now?"

"Because you touched me."

"Right. 'Cause I did. That's how you move."

Baekhyun understood.

"Whatever," he said with bated breath, "don't flirt, Blitz."

"Sorry. Is it working?'

"You're pushing it."

"It's not like I'm doing it on purpose. Things like that happen naturally."

Baekhyun pressed his lips in a tight line, and he tried to sit up, finally free of his invisible restraints. Blitz lightly shoved him back to rest, but with a shaky grip, Baekhyun had managed to catch his hand.

And outdo himself.

"Then can you touch me more?"

 

 

 

 

__  
Get down, it's Saturday night  
Saturday night, Saturday night  
Get down, it's Saturday night  
Saturday night, Saturday night  
Saturday morning  
Friday's enemy  
Housework is calling  
But where to begin  
Kids are out of school,  
Trying to find a friend  
Everybody's busy  
Can't wait for the night to begin  
We interrupt your Very Old Music Monday to deliver your news.  
Hey fellow Exordials! It's your boy Kyungsoo McAdams 3000, here to summarize all the news you ignored earlier during the morning broadcast.  
First of all, the scheduled axis shift that has been postponed 2 days ago will proceed today at 24-27. Your pods will be secured at that time and you won't be able to use gates. Please plan accordingly. Just in case, our medics are on standby. Extra standby. Ring the bell and they'll rescue you and charge you four million medals for every flesh wound.  
Second of all, it' my birthday! I turn eight today, thank you. Put my birthday mix on, Sehun. What do you mean no? You're saying I'm pretty bossy? Hey, you called me pretty. You have a crush on me? Is that it?  
He ran away, aww.  
Third of all, the information about the official blacklisted zones are updated on your device. You know which one. Due to the Arcangel and their attack last month, they moved up our "Fuck these planets" list! Now they're second place. They will never get first in anything as long as I'm alive.  
So that's the Red Force, at number one. If you remember, their placement is due to their numerous attempts to blow up our state and, most of all, the whistle blower who exposed their plans to eat salad in front of the Tree of Life. Their gigantic gun-pimpled planet has been ordered to pay for the damages they cost us, because what they did goes against our galaxy-wide constitution, and they smell like feet.  
Second, the Arcangel -- they are reportedly touring around the universe causing havoc without staying, as they've done with many of their colonies. Do not engage. They are more dangerous now that they've tasted defeat. Lastly, the Beasts of the East Galaxy. We have issued upgrades to your sensors to cancel out the frequency in which they tend to air quotes sing air quotes. Aside from that, our defense systems are well-maintained to deal with any possible attacks.  
We remind you that any encounter with entities representing these factions shall be reported to the President. Failure to do so will result in dire consequences. We do everything to protect you, so in turn, protect us.  
That's all for now. I need to pee.  
Kyungsoo Mcadams 3000, signing off. Until next time, Exordials.  
Stay alert.  
We are the hope of humanity.  
Chanyeol woke up to golden lights glowing faintly above him.

Gold on vantablack.

Right. He just came back.

He propped himself up, black hair falling on his face, body shaking off the deep static. With a low breath, he took his neurotransmitters off -- they parted from his head with a sharp hiss before coiling into smaller pods. 

"Deep cleanse."

"Commencing deep cleanse...Complete. Shutting down until further command, Blitz."

After clearing his throat until it felt workable, he reached his hand out, prompting his bedside module to extend, open and catch the devices.

Once it closed with a satisfying click, Chanyeol exhaled sharply.

That last session did deal a lot on his brain.

He winced, blue eyes clearing. Once his eyes got used to the feeling, he stared straight at the projection in front of him to get a good look at himself. 

He knew it.

Baekhyun was a little too much to handle.

Baekhyun. Blackhole69 asked him to call him by his real name.

Baekhyun.

Frankly, it was a common name throughout the universe. Chanyeol would know. Names aren't helpful when you wanted to search for someone across light years. Unless the name is fucking Chad. No birthgiver names their offsprings Chad. Instead, Chanyeol tried to get a feel for it -- get a feel for _him_.

The guy was a first-timer, but had the ability of someone special. It reminded Chanyeol of the first time he played the game. 

It went exactly as you would expect a galaxy-wide approved game to react to the statistics of an infamous genius.

_"Do you still want to do our tutorial-tutorial?" JD had asked in a flat tone. He was an AI that didn't feel the need to keep pretenses._

_Chanyeol shook his head then._

_JD simply straightened out his paperclip limbs of wire._

_The AI knew that Chanyeol was aware-- the first room was a test of latent ability. Where the game keeps you at zero, to see how you produce the tens. Chanyeol, after all, had first hand experience to this kind of technology._

And so he kept this in mind, as he watched Baekhyun blow it out of the water. Organically exceeding the recorded average in terms of raw statistic. JD must have dug deep into his wires to comprehend. Chanyeol was amused, and then he wanted to know more.

More.

How good can this baby move?

At one point, Chanyeol -- Blitz -- cracked a joke.

"Doggy style's universal."

Baekhyun looked over his bare shoulders, bodysuit off. He was taught that, just now. And he picked up on it quick. 

Chanyeol was overwhelmed by the realization that he has never wanted a body more. Baekhyun had a body sculpted so special, it made him so curious. Baekhyun's spoke of his discipline, his habits, his experiences, how he lived. 

From his unblemished neck, to his strong back muscles, to his plump ass, to his toned thighs, to his cute toes.

Modest curves at some places, perfect plump flesh at most. Cuts and tone abundant. Slender yet built like the most agile soldiers. Chanyeol wondered how this body would look like dealing with thick cock, and a good, exhaustive round of practiced, purposely rough sex. 

Baekhyun's body looked like most standard species at that percentage of evolution. Only infinitely more desirable.

Though Chanyeol didn't know if that's the body or how it moves.

Right, he'd like to have sex with him. This is lust, both mental and physical. He wanted to have fun. This was an adventure, an exploration. But not too fast.

After all, Baekhyun didn't have a face. A metal contraption in place of soft cheeks flushed with heat and shining with spit. Cloudy in body fluid.

With nothing to kiss, Chanyeol remained independent.

Not too in love. A large part of it was to know how Baekhyun moved. The other part, was to cause it.

"This is doggy style? It's a style?" The rookie breathed, curious and a little bit nervous, "Okay, then. Do it."

Another thing -- that voice. In all points of the spectrum, in all the inflections of highs and lows, it imitated music. Low, raspy, and self-assured. It was unique, and it belonged only to him. These noises are his vibrations.

"You think it feels better?" Chanyeol tried not to tease.

"Imagining it...If you enter me like this," it seems like he had caught on the sensuality of saying these kinds of things out loud, "it will be deeper, right?"

The pilot breathed. "So, better?"

"I...guess," Baekhyun tilted his cute helmeted head. "I mean, that's how I interpreted it." 

The taller male chuckled, "I like it too. It's not the best, but whichever way feels better, huh? By your logic, that means as long as I'm deep in here," he groped his stomach, "it will feel good."

Baekhyun turned away, but his body scooted closer, wanting Chanyeol's attention. He moved as if it was the most natural thing in the world -- like he didn't have to think twice about getting closer. Like it just came to him.

Chanyeol's eyes are half-closed. He was curious and he was heated. 

"How deep do you want it? Actually, I'll just see wherever gets the loudest moan." Chanyeol whispered, as he made space for himself between Baekhyun's legs. He let Baekhyun bounce, his ass bounce hefty, until he's snug in between the thighs he loved so much. He fell in love with those thighs at first sight, those are perfect and just his type.

"Let me find it. And fuck it, for you."

It's very wet in there. Unlimited lube dripping down thighs -- not for necessity, but for fetish.

The moment Chanyeol's tip touched Baekhyun's hole, both of them made a sound. Like it was their first kiss.

And they continued making that sound, as Chanyeol savored the heat eating him up and squeezing him out, as he penetrated tender, plush softness with every inch. He can't slam inside just yet, it will hurt. Yet, he's inserting himself inside the body of someone he just met. Baekhyun felt the head force him open so wet. The hot tip spread the tender insides apart, kissing it while he leaked, kissing it and--

"Wait, wait...!" Baekhyun hissed, pupils dilated and voice hoarse as he jerked back. "Let me breathe for a bit."

He touched his stomach as he threw his head back, the sudden stop allowing throbbing veins to dig into his gut. Pulse against its flesh.

Chanyeol listened immediately. Baekhyun's cock leaked heavy and he moaned sharply. 

"It's really big," he keened. And it's fucking cute.

Baekhyun panted, heavy cock drooling precum between his legs, letting it pool on the seat that previously kept him motionless. It's slippery and sticky and the same substance Chanyeol is pumping in his gut, slowly coating his insides and trailing deeper, tickling the flesh until it reaches certain sweet spots. Baekhyun could feel it dripping, the same way his own precum leaks out. 

"Take your time." Chanyeol said simply, because he understood. He could see it in Baekhyun's details. The way his entrance so elegantly stretched to accommodate a throbbing, rock hard cock so soaked it glimmered under the lights. And it's still just the tip. There's way more to take. 

Like the way their hands almost interlocked. Baekhyun had been thinking about it.

Baekhyun, instead, thought about the lust. It was easier to understand.

In a moment, Chanyeol would be pushing his dick all the way up to Baekhyun's stomach, where it will spit precum in areas Baekhyun never knew existed until it got fucked. In the deep recesses of his mind, anyway.

All in his brain.

Baekhyun grunted, a guttural sound ripped from his throat. He's still not used to his body, but he immediately chose to rip it apart. 

"I can't believe we're having sex," Baekhyun huffed, wanting levity in this heated situation where he could feel Chanyeol's sweat dripping onto his bare virtual skin. And into him, his load.

"Isn't it a bit too late for that? The tip's already in, just saying," Chanyeol has his fingers tickle Baekhyun's waist. Making him laugh. 

"That's just the tip? Oh god," the rookie let himself fall on the seat. Chanyeol held him fast enough to keep his head from hitting the surface. "You're mean," Baekhyun breathed, "I thought you were a nice, gentle guy. But you're tearing me apart..."

"I'm doing my best to be gentle," Chanyeol coughed, cheeks flushed. His eyes narrowed, making his gaze almost categorically fond. Making Baekhyun grit his teeth, suppressing his own set of problems involving a seemingly kind stranger and his sexy smile.

A smile that got closer, and closer, until it can be felt on skin.

And then, a sultry whisper.

"I haven't thrusted yet, why are you cumming?"

"...Stop talking, please."

"Then how will you cum?"

"F-Fuck off." 

"Is that the first time you cussed?"

"Really, leave me alone."

"Felt nice, right? Do it more, do it every time I pound you. Come on."

It's washing over him, and every time Baekhyun grunted, Chanyeol could feel himself becoming harder and bigger.

Finally, the climax. Baekhyun hissed and groaned and moaned until it's out of his system, the coiling pleasure of heat.

Chanyeol just watched it happen, amazed. And with that said, he got a thousand times more horny. A thousand times more eager -- his mind full of ideas on how to fuck his new friend silly. He got the urge to have something wrap tight around its dick. He craved the feeling of something sucking him off, before he gives it a taste of a good thrust. So he shoved everything in there.

Every inch. Every fat, throbbing vein. Right inside, right inside Baekhyun and his cumming body. His orgasming mind. And then the weight of this euphoria became realized with the way the rookie felt his movements cease. 

"I can't move."

"This is your first time after all," Chanyeol growled. "Still not used to it."

"Make me." Baekhyun grumbled as he covered his face, "I want to get used to this feeling.

Having someone inside me. 

I don't want to do it alone."

Chanyeol pressed his lips tight. 

"Not alone," Baekhyun breathed softly.

So Chanyeol gave Baekhyun what he fucking wanted.

Baekhyun is a great bottom. Letting Chanyeol know when he hit the sweet spot. 

Letting Chanyeol know that it felt good. It felt real good, real sexual. A prime example of real good dick.

Not even experiencing Baekhyun's body before, and yet Chanyeol already knew where to fuck him. This is the spot Baekhyun want pounded, smashed, wrecked. The very reason he came here. He wanted somebody to find this spot and fuck it for him, because it's so deep he can't reach it himself. And Chanyeol is just massaging it with his tip, training the walls around it to his shape because he knew it will get familiar. It will get rubbed. That sweet spot will get taken care of, will get spoiled with attention. Will get used. Will get splashed with cum.

"Having you inside me. Having someone inside me...is...I don't want to do it alone."

"Got it. I'll take care of you."

Chanyeol knew what it meant and he wanted to fuck more out of Baekhyun.

Baekhyun wailed, shock and disbelief lacing his voice as he let the pleasure surge in him.

At this point, his brain is melting.

Chanyeol had to be careful. He knew what it felt, the first time your brain is submerged in this kind of enhanced pleasure, it will get intense and possibly paralyzing. 

Time. Attention. Control.

Chanyeol would pound thoroughly, at a pace of controlled power and speed that only ever escalates when Baekhyun's moaning got more helpless. When his moans got guttural until they reached uncontrollable heights from the unhinged, raw ecstasy. After that, pull out and fuck again. Everywhere, not just one spot. Chanyeol felt the need to touch everything, to rub his cock everywhere. So Baekhyun will never forget how much they explored today.

Surely, he'd feel Chanyeol digging into his deepest parts.

"Not there? Too much?"

"I'm weak there..." Baekhyun coughed before he breathed deeply, body flushed. 

"Where do you want me, then?"

Baekhyun mindlessly stared at Chanyeol. "I don't know."

"You're cute, aren't you?"

"I'm just really horny right now," Baekhyun's voice tipped into its high, airy notes, "I can't think."

"...You're getting a bit desperate."

"That's not true. I'm totally not feeling good at all...Hnngh..."

"You're confused, really confused," Chanyeol smirked, pushing his hair back, "and really cute."

An hour later, Baekhyun is begging for Chanyeol to go deeper, and harder, and rougher as he grunted and sobbed his heart out on the seat, legs spread impossibly wide as Chanyeol's filthy cock pumped into and out of his ass like a jackhammer. It's so rough that precum is splashing on their bodies. It's so fast that the skin slapping sounds end in sticky liquid pumping in and out of Baekhyun's hole. It's so hard that Chanyeol's cock is sore and Baekhyun's gut is reduced to melting, quivering, heavenly softness.

Baekhyun's grunts are desperate. Chanyeol did his best to give him only the best mindless sex one could get the first time in porn game therapy.

"I'm cumming," Baekhyun hissed in euphoria, "fuck me more, please."

"I'm fucking pounding you. How much dick do you actually need?"

"All of yours."

So he says. But every time Chanyeol let his cock pound and dig into that spot, Baekhyun's whole body shook and arched like he's at his limit. He already knew how much of Chanyeol he could take. Forcing his thick thighs apart, Chanyeol manhandled the rookie into laying on his back.

He then stepped on the side of the seat, angling himself so he can fuck Baekhyun properly. With all of his weight, he is pounding Baekhyun and jacking his dick off inside him.

He'll fuck himself into his mind.

And hopefully remain there, so that Baekhyun would always crave for his cock.

His fucking, sex with him, fucking with him.

Baekhyun's desperate moans were replaced with weak, satisfied, gargling squeals as Chanyeol gave in to his wishes, showing Baekhyun that he had him already figured out.

"Here? Right here?" Chanyeol chuckled, asking for the sake of it. He now knew where Baekhyun's weak spots are. 

"Nevermind, you like them all, right? As long as you're enjoying my cock giving you attention, you don't care where."

Baekhyun hummed gratefully.

"As long as my cock's fucking this hole, fucking your insides and getting intimate -- making you filthy, sexing you up like you're mine, you'll love it."

Baekhyun couldn't help but nod obediently. 

"Yes. Like I'm yours."

Chanyeol stopped in the middle of pulling out, just around the tip. But the head slipped out deliciously, making Baekhyun whine cutely.

"Don't joke about that."

"You started it," Baekhyun mumbled drowsily, before reaching out to Chanyeol, trying to get him back.

"But I mean it."

Chanyeol would've kissed him then, if he could. He couldn't, so he just shut Baekhyun up another way.

More desperate fucking. More horny sex.

And the next thing Chanyeol knew, he's coming apart before Baekhyun. No more words were said as he pulled out and painted Baekhyun with thick semen. He used the last of his strength to insert a finger into the swollen entrance and flick Baekhyun off fast, until he came for the nth time.

Right there, the memory ended and Chanyeol was brought back to reality.

He woke up in his pod, legs spread, eyes wide open, to a projection of himself straight from the aftermath of a brain-melting situation. 

This sight is a first. 

Chanyeol is dizzy, and his head hurt to a splitting degree. He looked down, and saw the evidence of his well-earned orgasm.

He shouldn't be too annoyed. 

It was a good thing that no one caught him in this position. 

He really, truly, lost.

"Heeey, Chanyeol."

Of course. 

There he is.

That one had the knack to appear at the worst times possible.

Chanyeol almost conceded to a smile, _absolutely_ liking this sequence of events. But in a second, his expression went from a little bit shaken to perfectly cold. He could hear voices swooning.

With a firm voice, and a hand trying not to throw something at the childish young man, he faked joy. "What do you want?" He said with all the enthusiasm in his body.

Sehun contemplated whether to answer that or not by the way he shifted his weight between his feet. By the looks of it, he got scared and did some useless perpendicular-hiding-behind-the-wall maneuver, before he squinted at his co-pilot, examining his true status. Confirming his thoughts, Sehun's expression turned sour.

He looked devastated.

"Chanyeol, you're playing Space Porn Ursula again. Stop and try real people. Whatever those are."

"I'm not doing it for fun. You do know that?" the pilot puffed his cheeks as he laid back, his arms supporting his weight. There is a childish expression on his face -- uncharacteristic to the people who didn't know him well.

"Then do something fun instead. Want to go to Tacovel?"

Chanyeol didn't have a lot of energy left to deal with Sehun, but he had much less disposable braincells. So he just smiled, expression softening. He can't stay serious around this guy for too long, not when he's wearing a branded, skintight bodysuit while making a straight face, completely proud and confident.

On that bodysuit were the branded words _EXODUS Windy_. It was vacuum fitted, as these are specifically designed to monitor vitals and installed preparation for emergency care. They remove these things through the small ideal-condition generator module fitted into each of their rooms. Still, Chanyeol never wore it as tight as Sehun did. He found ways around it.

"You're looking at my chest," Sehun hid his chest.

"No. I'm looking at your suit."

"Oh. Pretty cute, huh? But I still prefer the old one," Sehun glanced down at his bodysuit, his smile at it full of pride and affection. He pinched an inch of the suit material as someone would the cheek of a baby.

Chanyeol sighed.

In response, Sehun pursed his lips followed by an uncommitted scowl. "You have the Blitz brand. I would've been Breeze. Because wind, my superpower? But you complained and complained..."

"Nevermind that. I don't care."

"As expected."

"How's Vivi doing?"

The bored trainee deemed the question important enough for proper face-to-face and nonverbal communication, so he emerged from behind the light gate, showing the console he's been carrying all day.

There it is, his pet. That foreign handheld console he received when he was given his first ship. He stopped carrying that a few counts ago but started again when he found that game.

Ignoring that, Chanyeol thought Sehun looked way too relaxed to have trained in special gravity. Then again, that may just be a consequent of his natural aptitude, which he has seen in practice too many times before. 

"Just because the game is called Virtual Pet doesn't mean I named him Vivi."

"Dude, you did."

"Yes."

Chanyeol snorted, and then stared at Sehun with a thoughtful face. Maintaining the eye contact, he then walked out of bed while zipping down his tracksuit, earning some disastrous expressions from his co-pilot. A momentary cold, clicking sound broke the silence as the bed turned its layers over. 

Chanyeol kept walking towards the sectioned corner of the room, and so the soft steps kept echoing against the hollow floor. Stationed at the corner of the empty room was a pod, which began to shift circularly until all its components settled into a flat, glowing disk.

One step on the circular platform and it lit up, presenting a few options on the projected screen.

"Why are you here?" Chanyeol calmly asked, voice cold, while he flicked through the hologram menu with swift, experienced motions.

Sehun looked to his side, seemingly uneasy but cautious, it manifested in all parts of his face. More so than usual, because he's always had this characteristic confusion in how he presented himself. Chanyeol probably had the same thing, somewhere. 

"President wants to see you. He wants you to stop messing around with some pixels."

"Did he tell you that when he saw Vivi in your log?"

"Take that back or I'll tell him you wet the bed."

Chanyeol chuckled at the snappy response, seeing his friend lighten up in his peripheral vision. "Okay," he chimed, "but I did."

Sehun simply opened his mouth. "Yes."

"I was right. And you can't threaten me. I'm 20,000 micrometers taller than you."

Sehun mumbled something that sounded like, _Just because you're right doesn't mean you're correct._ After the defeated mumble, only the sparkling water drizzling down the ceiling made sounds. It was obvious how both pilots were occupied, but Chanyeol just paid a little more attention to the other.

"Anything else?"

Sehun shrugged. 

"'Kay. Pet Vivi for me."

"Get your own pet if you want to butcher someone's name, Blitz."

With that, he walked away, leaving Chanyeol to think under a steady stream of sparkling, filtered water. Chanyeol could only hope there won't be too many heavy confrontations today.

 

 

 

 

 

Gold on vantablack.

The Presidential Control room, also known as the Presidential Unlabeled Buttons room. 

One time, the President pressed a button that activated all hidden party poppers in the ship. That's why no one uses party poppers in birthdays anymore. _Why do we even have that button,_ wailed the President in a secret emergency meeting discussing the ban.

Again, the Presidential Control room. It housed the last boss of this spaceship. As well as the other last bosses before him. This is where all command comes from, and where all Exordial pilots go to receive merit or lose it. In other words, no wants to go here.

Chanyeol walked in like he usually does. He was a regular, it was becoming awfully predictable. He missed the times before the President made surprise entrances punishable by law. 

(It was fun, though.)

Enter the President -- his name was Junmyeon. Codename: Aqua. Age: Don't try it. The public consensus states that he's a model of dignity, poised and perfect for leading the EXODUS mothership. He had set many personal records in piloting and combat, and is the sponsor to most quality-of-life improvements on board.

He's also currently wiggling in his chair, doing his best to turn around and strike an intimidating pose. He always does this. The timing's delayed a little today, but Chanyeol did not dare point it out, feelings would be hurt.

"Excellent work as usual, my child," the president nodded, seated at the throne overlooking the control modules. There's no one else inside, not even in the surrounding rooms. Everyone was ordered to take their stations around the mothership. Chanyeol walked until he's within arm's reach of the throne. 

He was stoic and expressionless. The leader seemed to be amused at this lack of energy, he had that small smile on his face.

Said smile showed a hint of affection.

"I know I'm not your favorite leader..."

Chanyeol blinked, tongue on the verge of clicking.

"But you're my favorite soldier. Chanyeol." 

The president clasped his hands together, reassuring Chanyeol. Of what, the young pilot did not know. The president seemed to be really proud of himself, so Chanyeol smiled back at him.

The leader laughed. "Of course, don't tell Sehun I said that."

"No worries. I won't."

"You're so handsome, polite, and following of what I say."

"So, obedient?"

"Yeah, that word. You're a puppy to my dog."

The pilot hummed, convincing himself that he can deal with this. He ended up sparing a glance at the control board and the many holograms projected around the room for distraction. Many of them are showing various areas of the mothership, the soldiers stationed by each gate uniformly alert and stoic. The president waited with a vague expression so he could start once Chanyeol's attention is in the right place.

"Oh, yeah. Which part do you want to hear?"

"Give me the gist, bite-sized. I have a small mouth."

Chanyeol curtly nodded before proceeding to summarize the events in a deadpan tone. 

"Passed through the Red Galaxy and ran into a planet-sized giant. Escaped. Random relatively small Arcangel captain confuses me and T-poses to intimidate me in a space fight," the pilot stopped for a moment, "got stuck in a desert planet only to meet an old loser who fixed my ship."

The president took the statement in, cross-examining every word -- pressing his finger against his lip, in deep thought. But it didn't take a second for him to answer back.

"Actually, tell me everything in detail."

Chanyeol did as told.

Cue space music.

Ass on a high-end spaceship -- a space flyer with high wings in bright white. It was simplistic in form, a solid V-shaped structure with protruding wings. They called it "Birdy", but Chanyeol didn't unless necessary. It simply wasn't his baby. Though there is an element of intimacy since he is connected to her through the helmet on his head, which masked his face and controlled his oxygen. The flyer was armed, both in offense and defense, as it was made for discrete, high-risk missions. It was also armed with an annoying fucking radio connected to Kyungsoo's state-sponsored station.

_"Hi guys! I'm here to ruin your day. Let's begin with some depressing disco music, yayaya!"_

Most of the high-ranking pilots manned similar units. This was another way to say that Birdy was less than what Chanyeol's used to. But the pilot can make her more.

The mission: a round trip to land on the time-bound junkyard planet El Dorado-- long lost and sought for. Not anymore. Intel said it was now in a specific location where the wars of many planets met, under surveillance and up for grabs. The crew thought the President was nuts for sending someone solo to a battlefield so dangerous. But it was Blitz, the famed rebel who escaped from an Arcangel colony.

And Blitz the famed rebel pilot had planned ahead.

Even though the mission was top secret, he knew he'd be tailed. After all, the totalitarians and the psychos across the universe have never played easy. It was highly likely that even President Junmyeon knew, but let Chanyeol deal with it himself because he's one funny man. 

The natural consequent of this state of affairs was easy to guess. 

Chanyeol chose the known, impenetrable Red Galaxy as a shortcut and as a starting power move against whoever dared him. 

He passed through the starting point fast and unharmed, subject to the sad songs Kyungsoo played in the radio. With a determined route, the trip was easy for an experienced pilot to breeze through. The route had to end -- and where the other one starts, the next problem surfaces.

There it was -- the big, gaping, red hole. The swollen, puffy entrance -- the quivering worm hole of space. The mouthwatering circle with a gaping hollow hole with a smaller radius than its surrounding border hole. Hole.

Enter Lay.

Lay, no family name. Chanyeol hoped he had family, though. Because outside of the omniscience and literal cosmic god status, he seemed quite nice. He was a bit pale, but perhaps it was the glowing undiscovered elements on his skin that caused this too-much-highlighter situation.

Lay was busy doing something Chanyeol could only see many, many units away.

He was practicing juggling, actually. With three other planets as the participants. Hopefully uninhabited.

Unfazed by the weight of the variables involved, Chanyeol made his first move just before he was caught in the giant's line of sight. He turned his defense field on as the trigger. It wasn't so much invisibility as it was a clever physics rig. But it was limited technology only the EXODUS had -- its use lasting a few minutes maximum. 

This and a hyperspeed run through while technically invisible would have been enough to guarantee the escape. Out of sight, out of mind.

Instead, Chanyeol took the farthest route to the exit jump to build momentum. 

With its high-energy reaction towards the defense field, Lay noticed the trespassing ship a second after the shield wore off, and a second before it drove out of his galaxy.

"Who was that?" Lay asked, the question soundless. Literally. 

"Oh no, space winged beast?! It cannot possibly be a Pidgeolon! My one weakness!" Fear has struck his eyes, turning them empty as the giant's body began to emit a certain, nuclear glow. Chanyeol looked back, and felt sweat trickle down his skin.

A superpower in space. Lonely celestial, powerful weapon.

"Thanks, big guy," Chanyeol smiled the moment he flew out of there, his last image of Lay a blinding one. That rampage would have been phenomenal to witness in its entirety. Space was home to everyone, including gods.

After powering through the Red Galaxy, Chanyeol's travel was peaceful and uninterrupted for a few hours. This was an uncharted part of space where traffic was unheard of. No one really dared to get past Planet Man. And it's not just that.

There has been a lot of politics regarding what places have seen life. In those discussions, this was the space they talked about in detail and speculation. All alone in space -- a romantic alien dream. It was silence as music.

(Save for Kyungsoo. He's currently playing "|||| || | | ||| ||" by Ataraxian Band _Fetish for Space Fish._ )

Chanyeol didn't expect company. This was his first move, it had to make the rest of the trip easier. And passing through Lay was unheard of until today. It was suppose to be the antithesis of easy.

_Usually._

Earlier than expected -- not even past the 9th verse of the song -- Chanyeol busted out Birdy's implements. A certain kind of thrill starting to heat up under his skin. Like his engine.

"Hostile encounter at 934," he spoke. In his eyes, the reflection of countless warning signs on his screen. The beat was speeding up. Underneath his skin, the pulse was vibrating.

To begin with, this wasn't the ideal course of action if Chanyeol wanted easy access to reinforcement. In an easier place, he can call any time for backup and he'd have decorated ships jumping into the situation so fast one would think they were mirage. But Chanyeol didn't have that as his priority. What he wanted was time alone with his pursuer.

All the data he can get, directly from the source. 

Nothing less than being on the field and hunting. Primitive in an uncontrolled environment, not ideal and therefore unheard of.

Right now, there's an Arcangel fleet behind him. 

Right where he wanted them to be.

The planet-sized nuke did well, unmasking all the fleets for his convenience. Three of the four ships sustained damage. The unharmed one was externally identical to the others.

If this were the leader, then in its internals the differences would lie. Chanyeol had these models already reverse engineered in his head.

"They said that the orbits surrounding El Dorado were under their jurisdiction," Chanyeol explained in present time, aware of Junmyeon's skepticism. 

"Did you listen?"

"Of course not."

Junmyeon's eyes narrowed.

"The ships chased me out. If it was completely their territory, they won't do anything to keep me out of it. They would have had bases there. That's why they had to chase me from the start."

"Double bluff."

"They had no reason to tail me, then. I was headed there in the first place."

Junmyeon smirked. "Point taken. Continue."

"Boss."

"Yeah? Don't call me boss. It rhymes with moss."

"President," a grounded tone, "do you want to hear the details of the chase?" Chanyeol inquired.

Junmyeon's eyes narrowed and he kept his lips pressed tight.

"It's fine. Just tell me the important points."

"Alright," Chanyeol nodded obediently. "I'll summarize it."

"Y---"

"Pew pew pew-pew pew whooo-oooo-oooosh," Chanyeol gritted his teeth as he twitched along with his finger gun, "Eweeee.....pew-pew, laser! Laser! Laser! (Laser.) Kshsksz..kshskcchhhz....Pew-pew-pew....peeew....Haaa....Bloop. Chanyeol win."

The president nodded, both palms on his face.

"Moving on," Chanyeol cleared his throat.

Two fallen ships later, Chanyeol was racing at the nearest planet's atmosphere, letting his spaceship sail smooth through violent currents of unknown gaseous substance. There was a lot of fire, at the very least. The two remaining Arcangel ships were not letting up with their endless condensed laser shots, obviously not meant to shoot him down but rather limit his movements. That's the only explanation for why they're missing so much, Chanyeol compromised and had his giggles out of the way.

_Kyungsoo radioing in. That's 5-hour Lo-Fi Study/Homework Music Playlist Radio Music Podcast MIX by JustAnotherMartianDude72 for you. Our Exordials must have been enjoying the beat all over the universe, huh? Hope you guys aren't dead._

"Can you at least pretend to aim? You guys are missing me more than my friends." Chanyeol hissed as he avoided all the debris clouds and blaster shots homing towards him by guiding Birdy through harsh directional changes. Having fun with it, matching it to the beat of the off vocal classical music.

He was consistently flying his ship in unpredictable trajectories and different bursts of acceleration until a tall, conveniently-placed pillar came into view.

It seemed like a beacon for disaster. Analysis described it so.

A tower of death. It was black and had jagged edges all over the pillar. A really ugly tower. Two large, oval domes at its feet. No biggie, this made it easier not to care for it. Chanyeol knew he wouldn't be guilty if he lead one of the Arcangel freights straight into the unpleasant shaft and wreck it to pieces, leaving its ashes scattered on the surface that cannot be seen.

As he raced through fire, the pursuers did their best to catch up. Blue trails of fire followed their spaceships, unlike the Birdy's pristine flight. On this side, no music. There was a calm conversation instead. An actual communication, one that Chanyeol didn't have. 

A polite tone of a henchman.

A keen eye of a leader.

"Captain, our chance, stab him." the crew member had inflections different from the normal Angel, and it slightly got to the captain who had been wanting to mute him even before the jump through Red Galaxy. He decided against it, knowing that the conversation was recorded.

The captain hummed instead, and the crew member flinched upon remembering his place.

"I mean, please stab him, Captain."

"Leave this to me," confident and unwavering, the enemy captain grinned, "I'll meet him at the other end. Just follow him closely."

"Yes, your sexy majestic tall highness Captain BB!"

With that, one of the ships made a sharp dive until dust covered its form, leaving Chanyeol with a persistent tail and significantly soured expectations. 

The pleasant sound of long lost classical strings faded as Chanyeol went lower and the gunfire became controlled. It was almost like the calm before a storm. Just in time, Kyungsoo made a coincidental, keen observation.

_Next song's my personal favorite. It starts with Toxic and then blank. Toxic blank. You fill the blank with another word. This one has three blanks at the end, actually. Any guesses? It ends with Spears._

"Not gonna work," Chanyeol finally prepped his backend and leading weapons for another run of gunning. The pilot clicked his tongue as he manhandled the wheel with one hand, patience running thin. The beeping noises interrupted the radio playing in the background.

"Don't get cute," Chanyeol whispered under his breath as his eyes moved through all the numbers on his screen.

_The one that drove off must be the more competent one._

Chanyeol aimed to chase down the target ship, with enough surveillance on the one behind him for safety. It was time to end the boring part and get to the plundering.

Until he saw something that wasn't in his prediction.

His blood turned cold.

_No. Not Toxic Masculinity Spears! Go inhale some helium outside, Sehun. The correct answer is Toxic by Britney Spears."_

"What now?"

There was a humanoid standing on top of that ship's wing, notwithstanding gravity. 

He froze for a whole verse.

Only Britney would know his horror then.

_Baby, can't you see?_  
I'm calling.  
A guy like you  
Should wear a warning  
It's dangerous  
I'm falling  
There was a gigantic blaster perched on the Arcangel soldier's body, the weight appeared to be negligible the way he's tossing it around. The humanoid was wearing a black-pink skintight battle suit with unknown components. Analysis returned a series of results that weren't consistent across the board, not even the element was identified.

_There's no escape_

This was the dumbest thing one could do, and it's exactly why it's frightening. This Arcangel guy was throwing him a zinger, and it's either a bluff or a curveball.

Chanyeol flew with constant velocity despite directional changes, waiting for their next move. At the same time, his heart finally slowed down to a calm, collected beat.

_Baby, give me it_

And he waited. Ready to open fire at any second. Seconds of monopolized attention felt like hours upon hours. Chanyeol was relaxed, not tense. He wanted his reflexes to go off, and trusted nothing but his trained body to react true to its nature.

Midair, the humanoid took his helmet off.

_Do you feel me now?_

That smile was the most beautiful.

His menacing silver eyes were the stars of the pitch black space. His smile was hypnotizing and confident. He had a lethal air around him, one that commanded all attention and authority. The air around him made him glow against an irrelevant backdrop for a moment.

The space was silent, as if to respect his presence. 

Suddenly, a realization.

The immediate clue was the lack of fire following a constant instrumental of blasters in the minutes prior to this moment. The next thing Chanyeol knew, someone was on top of his ship.

_The taste of your lips_  
I'm on a riiiide

"Damn sticky alien!"

Now that smile wasn't in 240p no longer. It's in fucking high-definition. Behind him was a blast of debris and fire, but he didn't show the slightest bit of strain. He was on top. And Chanyeol bit his lip, smiling.

_You're toxic I'm slippin' under  
With a taste of a poison paradise_

Chanyeol could play that. He opened his speakers with a quick flick at his control module, pissed off that he couldn't shoot this one as he would be shooting at himself.

"Hey, fairy, fuck off," Chanyeol swore and blazed through the wind with fire.

Excitement.

Thrill.

_I'm addicted to you_  
Don't you know that you're toxic?

The humanoid froze upon hearing the music.

(He seemed confused, but decided to let it slide.)

The next immediate moment, he raised his hand and waved. Chanyeol had no reaction, trying to see things through. The humanoid seemed annoyed before his eyes widened in realization. That's when he showed the pilot his middle finger, before smiling.

"Hey," Chanyeol snapped, "The universal sign of 'go fuck yourself!' That's not nice!"

He switched his gears, but the sound of a loud blast right behind him made Chanyeol go faster than intended, sweeping through the clearing air. With a quick look behind him, he realized the trailing plane had gone down, burning up on the surface.

And finally, it hit him.

"It was fun and games until his ship, auto piloted, was on its way to crash against me so I had to land."

"I see. And in the process, you lost your Birdy."

"Sehun's Birdy."

"Oh my god."

The landing was messy, the retelling choppy as a result. This is when Chanyeol chose to filter through the information and the words. It had to be a mix of both.

His descent to land wasn't pretty, but Chanyeol could usually pull up at the last minute. He didn't anticipate that the gravity would go haywire, that it would change so out of the blue -- he decided there was minimal chance it wasn't just broken. There was always that possibility.

The least the star pilot could do was follow the force, neutralizing it.

As much as it affected Birdy, it also affected the fairy on top, who got blasted out of sight. The fate of the fairy's ship was more unfortunate, as it crashed into bits the moment it hit the surface.

Fire consumed the freight and other things, too. 

"Not good. I kinda miss him."

Chanyeol clicked his tongue.

After recovering, he immediately skimmed through the land. The surface was nothing but black boxes on the sand. Although it wasn't really sand -- Chanyeol found out the hard way as the air got so dense with the particles that flattened his ship the more he flew. It got bad, but the pilot didn't really feel like relying on help from home. He prided himself on making it work. And for the most part, he survived on this thinking.

With the abandoned metals decorating the land of the planet, Blitz managed to fix up the Birdy with his scavenger intellect. It took a lot of time, and a lot of fuel to keep his fluids running just enough to live. By the time he had something to fly on, his body was barely grasping at straws. That's when a literal Deus Ex Machina came in, bearing gifts that only meant a miracle has fell upon the self-reliant pilot.

A lightbearer, whose form and clothing Chanyeol has spent studying for years in preparatory classes. It was obvious that the red hooded cape was blood on flesh the way it contrasted against the colorless sky. Against the ashes of an abandoned planet, the lightbearer was a mystical being whose only claim to humanity was the gentle slope of his lips. Most beings had them marred with fangs and weapons, because evolution told people they needed to defend themselves. The only part of their body they let everyone see are their lower face and their lips, with which they claimed their purpose. 

This one's lip was petal thin, but downturned in a pleasant shape. Full cheeks were visible and unexpectedly uncanny.

Lightbearers are enhanced, beast-created robots with super intelligence. The reason they live is for complete and neutral surveillance. A small modification of an observation will mean the termination of their life, of their light. Many people deduced that even with these limitations, they still had superior minds and processors compared to most androids.

In this sense, they are closer to Birdy than they are to Chanyeol. They are watchers of the universe. One just happened to be stationed here, where no soul reaches. Even in the limitless universe, there are existences meant to be alone.

For a existence likened to a myth, there was an element of omniscience. Seeing a lightbearer in the flesh made Chanyeol laugh -- there was more value in it being a heartfelt projection than reality.

"You're leaving without the object of your desires?"

The voice was robotic, but held a passionate tone that the static is easy to overlook. Chanyeol has never expected an artificial god to sound like this. It made them seem more frail. It was a testament to the principle that everyone is a victim of time.

Chanyeol tilted his head, reasonable and confident. " _You're_ the object of my desires."

"Young, wise-cracking pilot. Sarcasm might be an effective coping mechanism, but you're capable of more."

"What? Like, crying?" Chanyeol sighed in a joking manner.

The lightbearer approached him with clunky, unbalanced steps.

"This is El Dorado. You can take something from here."

Chanyeol's eyes widened the moment the words sunk in. He had a growing suspicion that was almost set in stone, but to hear it from someone else who was inexplicably alive in this desert planet held a certain weight to it that is heavier than a personal analysis. Still, this statement could branch off into many options.

"My only remaining mission is to go back. I have nothing to take. I mean, aside from the things I've already taken..." Like those weathered aircraft parts. They were embedded into the ground. It was a free-for-all broken parts convention down here.

"What about your freedom? You're from EXODUS. I know your freedom is a physical object."

"That is the first thing you tell me, lightbearer?"

"The first thing anyone will tell you," he smiled one cute smile -- reminiscent of an endearing feline companion, "this is the first time you met one like me. That's because we all know what's going on, there's no need to ask one of you."

With that, he extended his hand out.

"You know what I'm talking about, Blitz. Why don't we talk in a sheltered place?" The light bearer looked up at the blinding sky, unfazed. "It will rain soon."

The pilot weighed his options. 

He thought.

And then stopped thinking.

 

 

 

 

"I see. Escaping Lay, encounter with the Arcangel, and a mysterious, charitable man who fixed your ship. That must have been one long month for you," the president laid down his hands on the table as a sign of respect. Chanyeol nodded in acknowledgement.

The president seemed to have bought the stripped down version of the story.

"Still, way less than the estimated time. I'm going to request an immediate upgrade to your Galahad. Though it would be useless if you never used it."

"I will, President. When necessary."

The president smiled knowingly. "Well done, Blitz."

"Yes, sir."

"The other thing I asked of you, have you kept it in mind?"

Chanyeol licked his lips as he backed off, stance turning more relaxed. The President's eyes observed him from below. Chanyeol was a tall guy, after all.

"Yes, I have steady grasp on its operations. I can complete any task as soon as you give the order."

The authority's gaze wasn't wavering. It was pointed as much as his tone, subtle but commanding. He communicated like he has formed the absolute picture from the bits and pieces he extracted from words.

"Get as much intel as much as possible," the command was given fast and snappy, "The fact that it's still up astounds me. But it won't be for much longer. Only a few weeks more, you shut it down."

Chanyeol saluted.

"Only a few weeks more."

 

 

 

 

 

Chanyeol wasn't surprised when he saw Sehun behind the gate. One thing Sehun always pointed out to Junmyeon was his tendency to have all these monitors available to him, but never actually looked at any of them. Surveillance was for his peace of mind, not for his knowledge. But that's not the reason why the younger pilot was here -- it was for the other reasons.

Like the very mention of a certain race.

"I heard that," Sehun muttered, eyes downcast and tone low. There was melancholy in it -- an ice-like melancholy. That's why Chanyeol had to tread carefully or else he'd break the ice.

Revealing fractures, he'd fall into the cracks.

Not the good type of cracks.

"I'm sure you're actually his favorite pilot," Chanyeol gave Sehun a practiced smile.

Sehun responded coldly. Usually, he let it slide with a childish expression. Right at this moment, there was nothing but focused, suppressed aggression in him that Chanyeol took great care not to trigger.

Sehun spoke, jaw clenched and face stiff. "I trust you. You're like my older brother," said in a guarded tone.

Chanyeol sighed, knowing what's between the lines. He knew the story, but wished that he didn't. It was a heavy one that persisted through many battles and nights spent alone. It was common to everyone, and at the same time, unique only to Sehun.

To put it simply, a personal retelling of a common tragedy.

"Next time, I'll go with you," Sehun gave in, released the tension, and then he smiled. A few moments and he took his leave, walking past Chanyeol who basked in the icy, chilling air that lingered with Sehun's afterimage.

To Sehun, no one else in the world wanted them gone more than him. And Chanyeol respected that.

So, he called him out.

"To Space Porn Ultra? You'll go with me?"

"Huh...No! Gross!" Sehun shouted back with disgust before scampering away.

Chanyeol grinned, watching the younger run away.

_He still runs the same way._

Like that time, during training. Chanyeol defected much earlier, and Sehun was a newcomer who had relied on him when he got recruited. Back then, he did the same as now. He ran away from things that intensified feelings of hatred, towards himself and towards the Arcangel.

It was just another day at this corner of the universe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"They say some love can only bloom in certain places."

JD replied to the question: Why does this game have so many places? Aren't we supposed to just flirt with each other and make out in private?

Baekhyun smiled at the ever present disconnect. That was an unexpectedly poignant answer from an AI. Exactly what a sentient being would want his creation to emulate. But it manifested very vividly -- the substance those words contained. Now, this level of attention to detail had a story to it. A motivation.

The AI said: to cultivate feelings. Creating an environment that positively influenced the growth of affection and emphatic connection.

And it would be different for every specimen.

In a universe like this, different species would naturally come into existence. By extension, different kinds of love will live, and breed.

"Mainly the breed part."

"What?"

Baekhyun cleared his throat.

"Pregnancy is a mod you have yet to unlock, dear player. You have to get a specific score in the Child Care mini game." 

"Yes, got it, JD. I wasn't really that serious."

"Parenthood is not a joke."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, okay?"

Straightforwardly, Baekhyun thought the in-game world would be nothing but an empty shell of a distant world. He thought it would be nothing but a reminder that everyone's here for a quick way to forget, not for a place to stay. That was not the case at all, as proven by the way Baekhyun is on a journey to visit each named location. As if they were real. As if there's a chance to find a certain someone enjoying life in these corners. Just like fated encounters in real life.

(But that isn't meant to be taken literally. Just to be clear, Baekhyun was not searching for anyone but himself.)

The areas were not full of detail. Most of them were simplistic and only the lighting gave them form. But the colors and the ideas -- the uniqueness of something Baekhyun has never seen before were what set them apart from lifeless replications of the highest machines.

Baekhyun knew those all too well.

The selection menu labeled this one place "A Dingy 2013 Bar that Shut Down because the Owner got tired of Teenagers". Baekhyun liked it, but he was unsure of how it ranked against the other places he had visited these past few weeks. 

He guessed that the value was in the context he didn't understand. Space Porn Ultra gave you a choice from wastelands to cosmic heavenly bodies. This was leaning on the wasteland part of the spectrum, with a structure that seemed closer to dust than it was to habitable property.

The rest of the time not spent on exploring, Baekhyun had allotted to studying and practicing. It paid off in the form of his current level of control in the game. In fact, JD even taught him to dress for the occasion. Gone were the functional body suits that resembled architecture more than they did humanoids. Instead, Baekhyun is wearing a piece of fabric with holes for his arms and a different, more annoying fabric with holes for both of his legs. The latter is tight around his body, like two snakes with very feeble skin conjoined at the head. 

_This thing is called pants. I saw it before, on... that guy. But it wasn't worn. It was pushed down a little bit...he needed to take it off to do what he was doing._

A garbled voice from above took him out of his thoughts. The first striking clue was the obvious static from the speech running through the translator. Baekhyun sighed, already knowing what this would be. This was part of the experience.

"Hey, you're cute. Wanna go back there?"

Baekhyun looked up only to see a helmet thrice as large as his is, with two open holes at each side for angular ears. The creature moved, though stiff. But it had a certain character to it that Baekhyun picked up on. 

_Oh,_ it's a space vampire. 

They have always been among the bigger populations in the server. Perhaps being unaffected by the fake sun empowers them, making this game a safe haven. There were also sunrises and sunsets they could enjoy without the consequences. Baekhyun bit his lip and nodded politely, and he made lively gestures with his hands.

"It's fine. I'm on my way to meet someone, actually." He flinched at the noisy static from his own translator. He usually had no use for it.

"I won't bite you. I'm vegetarian, unless you're one of those tree people. In which case, I'm very sorry."

"Oh, no. I'm not from there. I'm a humanoid."

"Ahhh...So two arms and two legs, huh?"

"Yup."

"Must be nice."

"I mean, yeah. Less limbs to worry about...Less lotion..." Baekhyun reasoned.

"Wow! We make lotion."

"Cool. Like a family business?"

"Yes. Each one of our family members produce lotion from our teats."

"Oooh... Oh, well, there's my girlfriend. Have to go. Nice to meet you. The name's Black Knight, by the way."

"Nice to meet you too! Vladislactatius, my name. See you around, small friend."

Baekhyun waved a hand, an apologetic smile on his face before walking past the space vampire, who waved back excitedly. Suffice to say, Baekhyun hoped he'd enjoy his night.

Now free to walk around, Baekhyun observed that a lot of players are dressed like him, some of their torso fabrics with less arm holes, others with more. All their movements had this very obvious twitchy characteristic to them, and they resembled machines more than biological creatures. All movements connected from point A to point B, but it was one after another rather than seamless transitions. Baekhyun has been doing better than them, and it was a point of curiosity. 

Walking around, it became evident quickly that there were only a few humanoids in this area.

From what he'd seen, Baekhyun observed that humanoids frequented spaces that were more familiar to them, like the Sunken Hole and the Sun.

He debated changing locations, as there wasn't much here, before he noticed two humanoids talking by the counters. One was a female with a white helmet and a piece of fabric wrapped around her hips, this fabric flared outward and was rather elegant on her even though she stood motionless, completely still. The other humanoid is a tall male wearing a pitch black helmet and a tracksuit.

Wait a minute.

Baekhyun couldn't help himself. 

"This AI reminds you that it is forbidden to die in the game. Please stop your heart attack immediately," JD appeared at the corner of his sight, bouncing left and right. 

Baekhyun simply stepped back in disbelief.

"Is that...?"

"User Blitz? Yes. You had one (1) session with him that lasted five (5) hours. But he is with that female now."

"I can see that."

"Suggestion: A threesome."

"JD."

"It is within the realm of possibility. You have an approval chance of 18%. Not bad. Do you want to initiate?"

"No!"

Baekhyun's shoulders fell. His mouth opened slightly, and there was a feeling.

Something spacey, and it twinkled.

One second, he's panicking.

The next second, he's right there.

With his arms open in some maneuver he learned from the space salesmen.

"Greetings, fellow bipedal humanoids. As you can see, I'm bipedal too. Hi."

The female turned around stiffly, and she was more intimidating than expected, even though her helmet had the face of a quadrupedal white, cloud-like canine beast adorning it. Baekhyun tried not to flinch at the helmet, and focused instead on the emotionless male who crossed his arms at the sight of him.

His vital signs reacted again, ticking and changing numbers and panicking like the fickle losers they were.

"What do you want?" she asked monotonously.

"F-f-friends." Baekhyun high-fived himself in his brain.

His response was almost equally as monotonous as hers, except for a tiny second at the end where he accidentally hit a high note. She really was an intimidating presence, like those blade-legged people in Ataraxia. He almost regretted barging in on their conversation.

Almost.

Blitz showed him a familiar head tilt, and Baekhyun was glad his own smile was hidden.

It's a little bit too early for this.

"We were actually just leaving." Blitz stepped forward and hid the girl behind him, amusing Baekhyun. "Don't worry, Blackhole69."

Okay. Baekhyun wasn't amused anymore.

Blitz's voice had a teasing lilt to it as he waved a finger. "We plan to be friends privately."

"The same friendship ceremony we had that day?"

"..."

"..."

"Yes."

"W-Well, can't I do it with her instead?"

Blitz only stared silently as Baekhyun easily waved at the girl, back straightened as opposed to slouching.

"I know how to move now, you know. I'd like to show it off, if possible."

"She doesn't want it. She can't even move. Keep it to yourself."

"Want what?" The girl tilted her head, "you don't know what I want, Chanyeol. I don't even know what I want. And I can move. I'm just choosing not to."

Baekhyun paused.

Blitz flinched.

_"Oh, shit."_

_"Chanyeol?"_ Baekhyun tilted his head before looking at the taller male. 

It was almost as if time stopped for the both of them.

"That. You?" 

Baekhyun grumbled and pointed a crooked finger at Blitz.

"I-I-I don't know," Blitz shakily turned his head away like a shining example of confidence and honesty.

"Now that I think about it, I told you my name, but you didn't tell me yours." Baekhyun turned his back on the two humanoids, his tone somber. The girl looked back and forth between the two with the exciting head movements of a half-effective horizontal pendulum, she was extremely amused.

"That's not good, is it? I shall go to the suspicious, musky rooms at the back to cry."

Blitz and the girl simply watched Baekhyun leave in silence. They kept their gazes there, as if disbelieving of what just happened. The first to break the silence was the girl.

"You like him, don't you?"

"Don't misunderstand. I'm here for the mission."

"Mission: Wetting The Bed Part Two: Tokyo Drift."

"Can you please let that go?"

"If you let me go first." the girl stomped her feet. "I miss my third leg." She then gave Chanyeol a shoulder pat before walking away and encountering a space vampire mumbling something that sounded like "tripedalism, you like?" The space vampire had three legs, and he seemed overjoyed to show them to the girl because he recently just learned to use all three at the same time.

 

 

 

 

"Hey."

"Yo."

"Blitz, lock the door."

"Where's the fun in that?"

"...You monster."

"You gave me a nickname?"

The sound of Chanyeol's mask disintegrating was pleasant to the ears, not just because of its implications. The sound was a fresh, organic sound, similar to many familiar noises from the many pieces of technology back at home. In particular, the transport portals and the quick blasts of energy. The sound was a chill cacophony of metal against metal against element.

Or maybe, it's not the sound. It's knowing that it really was Blitz behind that mask, and the peace of mind it provided that gave Baekhyun this specific sense of security. Baekhyun would've logged out if it turned out to just be a random guy. The guy would've been a fine humanoid, but he wouldn't be _him_.

"So your name's Chanyeol," Baekhyun tried to push the top of the knob by the sink. He was focused and confident and he didn't know what he was doing but he persisted, because that's how he was. His focus was there, "You didn't tell me."

"I figured it wasn't necessary. My username wasn't dumb."

Baekhyun pressed the top of the knob again, this time looking ominously at the taller male.

Chanyeol whistled and turned away, eyes gleaming with that familiar fondness. "You twist that. Then the water comes out."

"I know." Baekhyun twisted the knob. It didn't budge, but before Chanyeol could say anything, he twisted it in the opposite direction. Water came out in a steady, satisfying stream.

He kept his guarded stance, even though he was proud of himself for that. Even though he saw Chanyeol's soft, slightly teasing smile.

"Your movements look much better now," the taller male casually remarked.

Baekhyun didn't respond. 

Chanyeol blinked in silence before softly asking, "Are you mad?"

It was clear that he hadn't thought about the possibility that Baekhyun was just admiring how he looked when his hair framed his face gently.

The rookie thought about how to go for it. And Chanyeol gave him time. When he got himself together, he tried to find the right words to describe the feeling.

"You didn't tell me your name," vulnerable but firm. A characteristic that quickly became synonymous to him.

Chanyeol respected it. 

"You didn't show me your face," he smiled, thinking about how easy they played off each other. 

"I wanted to moan your name."

"And I wanted to kiss you."

They each took a separate breath of relief. 

On their minds, safety and reassurance.

Baekhyun's shoulders fell. He can't help but feel like he's smiling.

"I thought you wanted to jizz on my face," Baekhyun mumbled sadly, but the disappointment was evident. The boyish chuckle he got in response to this was lovely, and it made him look straight ahead to see what was up. Greeting him on the mirror was a perfect projection.

The new player made sure he remembered this sight.

It's cute.

Chanyeol is cute.

"Chanyeol. Chanyeol. _Chanyeol_."

Carefully, he uttered each syllable. Off his tongue, they sounded tender. There was a casual quality, a symptom of a second meeting, but there was also a gentle wash of familiarity. As if they shared an unspoken feeling. Everything seemed so natural this way.

Chanyeol sighed, leaning on the door. Carefree and effortless as ever, even when his previous partner has approached him with a curious stance. He just stayed still, waiting and expecting.

"I like your name. Sounds foreign. I like how it rolls off my tongue," Baekhyun proudly stated the mundane observation with sincerity.

Chanyeol didn't know how to repay that, and just figured a joke was better than breathless admiration. "I don't trust you when you say you have a tongue," he squinted, "I have a gut feeling that you don't have one."

Baekhyun grumbled. "You don't trust me. Even though I trust you?"

Fucking cute, he knew that wasn't true. 

Baekhyun defended further with a charming flick of a finger. "But you can't just say I don't have a tongue. Where did that even come from? You have no proof."

"Hmm," Chanyeol scoffed jokingly before his expression turned gentle. He masked his good mood by poking Baekhyun's helmet lightly, pushing him back a little. "How about you, do you have proof?"

"You're trying to make me prove I have a damn wet and wiggly tongue."

"Is it working?"

"Yeah! Now close your beautiful eyes and let me suck on your neck."

"You're really charming today." Chanyeol laughed boyishly, the warmth reached his eyes before he did as prompted, immediately leaving himself open. None of the seconds after Baekhyun's request was spent hesitating. The pilot was an opportunist. All while a content smile forms on his plump lips, almost sly. 

Baekhyun stared curiously. It could be that he found it strange, or that he found himself strange for feeling this light. Nothing would be romantic in a place like this. Nothing should be.

"You don't have to show your face, if you don't want to," the tall male whispered as a matter of fact. "I was just teasing you. I like making jokes."

"That are half meant?" Baekhyun whispered back, voice low and raspy as he used this moment to appreciate Chanyeol's details once more. 

"You're honest today."

"Is it okay?"

"It's really attractive."

Chanyeol still has his eyes closed, giving Baekhhyun as much time as he needed. Baekhyun knew he needed a lot of time, much more than Chanyeol's estimates.

He turned his helmet off his a satisfying click.

And the first thing he did, was let Chanyeol feel the shape of his lips.

And his smooth plump cheeks.

"Talk about going for the jugular," the pilot breathed with a lilt in his voice, even though he had just learned he was the weak one. Baekhyun just let his lips glide down his neck, hitting spots that curved and moved as the taller male swallowed for every second Baekhyun's spell worked on him.

"My tongue's a bit small. I hope you can feel it." Letting his tongue peek out, Baekhyun got himself a taste of Chanyeol's moan. And a taste of his soft, cool skin. It tasted salty yet strong, so much so that Baekhyun could feel his appetite rumble. He never knew he had a taste for this.

There's just something about being allowed to run your tongue down someone's throat. And when they moan, the wet fire felt on the tongue becomes worth it, spreading all over the body like viscous, thick desire.

"No," Chanyeol delivered the truth. "I can feel your boner though."

"Hey. That makes two of us."

"Dumbass. I've been hard for forty-seven years ever since I walked through that door," Chanyeol smiled, "you didn't notice because you're too busy looking at my face."

"Why are you so horny?" Baekhyun wailed in disbelief.

"The same reason as yours."

"Didn't know you were a narcissist, Sir Blitz."

With the hormones of about three hundred sex robots, Baekhyun knelt down, undeterred by the puzzling pants situation he's encountered yet again. He spared no more than a passing second before he pulled it down, letting himself cower at Chanyeol's cock just popping out of its confines. Dripping and rock solid.

This is the first time he had a good look at it, and though he wanted to feel the texture on his cheeks already, the throbbing veins had him hypnotized. Watching them pulse and throb and wrap around the cock like that does something special to his heart.

It made Baekhyun hornier, taking hold of his body and twisting him into spreading his legs. Tapping into his soul so he'd willingly open his mouth wide, even though its diameter was nowhere near enough to shelter a dick as massive and wet as that. A potent effect of a gorgeous organ just waiting to be used for pleasure was reminiscent of a mind breaking aphrodisiac.

The length is just unheard of, and Baekhyun took a lot of humanoid biology. It was about nine, or even more. Baekhyun could swear he felt Chanyeol to the hilt. He was sure Chanyeol jammed every inch of that into his gut. He felt every inch of that in his depth, and it felt even more raunchy and filthy beyond someone's best imaginations.

It was a tender cock impaling him, lodged so deep, it force fed him its nutrients. Every breath Chanyeol took, was a weighty flex inside Baekhyun's insides. A contact so sexual it reduced two people into one mess of sex addiction, and that's not including the force with which Chanyeol used that thing.

As if it was made solely for fucking someone to the deepest point of love.

"You blushing? I can feel you breathing over it. A bit wet. Are you drooling?"

"No, meanie. Shut up," Baekhyun panted, brows furrowed and legs giving out.

"Don't get too flustered. You got this. I believe in you."

"I'll bite you."

"Anything to be in your mouth."

And so Baekhyun shoved it in. There was no delay in realizing he failed, eyes wide as his open lips are firmly stuck on Chanyeol's cockhead. Immediately, the precum coated his tongue, lining it with hot stickiness. It quickly got mixed with his saliva as he swallowed to catch his breath. Anxiety, desperation, lust, and thrill. They were all there.

The precum is lining the inside of his throat slowly.

Not wanting to keep Chanyeol waiting, Baekhyun braced himself and took the rest of it in, his cheeks immediately forced open and filled with cock and Chanyeol's scent. It was an explosion in his senses. He never really made significant progress into engulfing the whole thing -- it wasn't possible -- so he settled for tasting as much as he can, using his tongue to catch all the dribbling precum from the cock into his throat. The sounds of slurping and sucking are perverted. Apart from the heavenly feeling, even the sounds were able to let Chanyeol know just how hard Baekhyun cares for him.

The sensations let him know that Baekhyun's throat is soft and plush, too. 

"Hmm...hnngh..." Baekhyun moaned as he felt the precum pouring straight to his stomach.

"Y-You're pretty good. Guess you're this multi-talented," Chanyeol growled helplessly, with a desperate smile that Baekhyun took a second to appreciate. The pilot is out of his wits, turning crazy every second Baekhyun continued to suck his dick dry. It was effective and efficient, partly due to the fact that he seemed so passionate and he was Baekhyun. 

He pleaded, "I'm cumming," like Baekhyun did when he got fucked all the way to Oblivion. Oblivion was the farthest planet discovered yet.

Baekhyun pulled himself off, and let the dick pop out of his mouth. All the drool and precum made lovely webs between the shining slit of Chanyeol's cock and Baekhyun's lovely, feline-like lips. Chanyeol's body fluid was real sticky, as it coated Baekhyun's lips to his teeth to his tongue, which is still quivering from how hard it worked to squeeze the semen out.

"Right now, you seem so happy, Chanyeol. I deserve a pat on the head for doing a decent job, right?" he mumbled coquettishly before slurping it again, allowing Chanyeol to hit climax the moment lips wrapped around his slit and provided a safe dump for his cum.

From the sounds of Baekhyun drinking it, Chanyeol figured he might have had a thick load. He seemed to have had a rough time swallowing, even coughing a little once it had it all down. It was only right for Chanyeol to apologize, and thank him. 

"How can a kiss compare to that," Baekhyun sniffed and coughed before covering his smiling lips. Chanyeol is still pretending to be blind, though that orgasm nearly did him to the point of authenticity.

"That may be the best blowjob of my life. But I still deserve a peck on the lips."

"I see, you're childish too."

"Too?"

 

 

 

"We can't do it anymore."

In front of the foggy mirror, Baekhyun had his arms forward in a position of vulnerability. His helmet was back around his head, hiding his pure red from the male who never hid the fact that he was staring, and that he was fully attentive. This level of attention was flattering, Baekhyun knew. 

Baekhyun liked to think those eyes were perverted and not anything close to affectionate. The distance became more tolerable that way.

This was, after all, just their second meeting in a place with no consequences.

Chanyeol had this constant youthful energy and edge to him. Baekhyun didn't know if he could find someone like this in the universe he knew. 

And so, this question gave him his idea and his worry, about attachment and the process of remaining clear headed about relationships that are only held by ever changing sequences of 1's and 0's.

Baekhyun declared, then, with all of his mentally-formed hypotheses, that the gentle hold on his curled hands were devoid of any affection. No matter how light, no matter how easy they were, and no matter how comforting they were -- they held no weight because there was no gravity.

_Yeah, as if that could happen._

"I can accept that," Chanyeol whispered, calm but caught off guard. It was obvious he had lively, running thoughts in his mind, "but I want to know why."

Baekhyun grumbled. He hadn't planned past this. "The reason is...well...It's hard to explain. I definitely have a reason, and you deserve to know, but it's at the tip of my tongue."

"Want me to suck it off?"

"Chanyeol."

"Just joking. Seriously, do you need help?"

"Yeah." Baekhyun blurted out of reflex. 

Then he berated himself for developing this mild dependence on the reliable player, so much so that he got himself into a worse situation.

Saying yes to his considerate questions should not be a reflex. But he didn't feel like taking it back either.

"Are you in a relationship?" Chanyeol tilted his head, and his clear eyes widened slightly when he got a soft gasp as a reply.

"No. I'm not," Baekhyun kept his head down. "I'm glad you care about things like that."

"Truth to be told, I only care about what you think. I don't care about this hypothetical relationship," Chanyeol said nonchalantly, obviously bored. "It's up to you. I care about whether you want us to stop or continue like this."

After a long, indescribable pause, Baekhyun slouched and looked away. Soon enough, even the stoic Chanyeol reacted to the unbearable silence.

"What is it?"

"No morals," Baekhyun sniffed. "Today I learned, that Chanyeol has no morals."

This amused the pilot. "You see, I gotta lack something."

The rookie shook his head. "I specifically dislike people who lack faithfulness in love. I'm a romantic, and you're willing to cheat."

"With you. Not on you," Chanyeol cocked his head with a pointed gaze, "sounds romantic to me."

Today, Baekhyun learned more about him, and this discovery was something that made him happy.

"Enough about that. It's not that." Baekhyun was slightly shaking in confusion, but that only fueled Chanyeol's teasing streak, evident in his bright eyes.

"Maybe it didn't feel good?" Chanyeol offered next.

A trap. He laid such efficient traps with his words.

"I'm sorry," he whispered so softly with a small smirk. It was definitely to seduce, "it happens sometimes, I do get nervous having sex with someone I like."

Baekhyun has had it. He chuckled in suppressed frustration, "it felt very good. So much so that I don't think we need to do it again. That good."

Chanyeol looked up as he blew his bangs off. "Good one. I'm happy as long as it didn't hurt."

"There you go again."

"Yeah," he mumbled, "you get me, you get things like this. Part of the package."

"Get you..." Baekhyun tipped his head. "Have I got you?"

The pilot looked away, his lips forming a noncommittal pout though he tried to look cynical. 

"This is another guess. Perhaps, you just want to play. No feelings like I'm letting on. But I can spin that narrative the other way," he chuckled heatedly, "You want feelings. And I talk like a player. So which is it?"

"Is it stupid to think about either of those?"

"Not really. Either way, I learn something new about you, and I consider that a win."

Baekhyun's beautiful fingers dug into his own skin. The cramped room was empty -- there were no other people but them, yet Baekhyun stood like he had no space. He stood so small though his presence was big. 

On the state of the room, not one soul has attempted to come inside and it was something to think about.

Maybe he'd think about that later, he shouldn't distract himself anymore.

"As much as possible, I didn't want to get attached," he delivered with a straight voice.

With that, Chanyeol smiled tightly and began to listen with undivided attention. He didn't want to miss a moment.

"It's Space Porn Ultra. Not Space Relationship Ultra. Not I Need To Find Myself So Give Me Space Porn Ultra. Makes sense?" The rookie looked at Blitz for approval, and Blitz nodded curtly.

"But at the same time," Baekhyun paused, knowing that the next words he wanted to say were loaded words. Still, he spoke them firmly after he got one look at the silent, attentive pilot. 

_He'd listen. He's listening._

"At the same time, I'm here to have fun. I'm here to finally be happy."

Baekhyun's voice was earthy as he let go of the last syllable. After that, no one spared a second of hesitance on their words.

"Right now, you're thinking, _of all places, why here?_ "

"You underestimate me," Chanyeol felt like his voice was needed. "You don't have a lot of choices. I sympathize with that."

Baekhyun huffed cheerfully.

"I'd say I'm have very limited time. As much as possible, I want to spend it wisely."

"What, you're dying?"

"Would you hate me if I kept that a secret?" He spoke of the words like he would a song. "I'd like to keep you on your toes."

Chanyeol's expression was cool, _because he was such a cool person to Baekhyun._ And then he talked so detached, talked so solemn.

"Doesn't make a difference to me," he spoke under his breath.

"I expected that."

"I'd love you all the same."

And that was the moment Baekhyun remembered how it felt to fall.

 

 

 

"Wha... Everyone disappeared. So this is why we were in complete isolation for like, three hours."

Baekhyun found himself standing in the middle of an empty, dingy 2013 bar with no owner. There was a lot different in this place from how it was hours ago. 

The most drastic change would be Baekhyun himself.

The only sign of life was this ancient music machine running at the corner. It had these tacky neon lights that made it look fun and otherworldly-- Baekhyun thought it was fun, he personally have never seen one before. Now that there were no more people to muddle its sound, he could hear everything clearly despite numerous interruptions, courtesy of his heart beating so fast.

Chanyeol trailed behind, adjusting his pants and hitting himself when he bumped into the motionless Baekhyun who didn't move an inch. _What kind of strength..._

"Did we scare them off? Did they hear us? Was it my slurping?"

The pilot adjusted his helmet, trying to keep his cool, but he couldn't stop and ended up releasing an audible, airy laugh. There was an initial disbelief, one could hear it in his suppressed breaths, and then he just let go, cracking up into airless high pitches. Baekhyun's awkward posture made him lose it even more.

The smaller turned around with a slight tilt of his head.

"Frankly, I could barely hear your Moans of Complete Submission. All I could hear was my Personal Noises of Suction."

"I bet. They were all I could hear too. Besides the angels singing into my ear after I got blasted to heaven."

Baekhyun looked away. Chanyeol wondered if Baekhyun was satisfied with the answer. Tonight, his main goal -- the one apart from fucking with the game's system -- was to satisfy this person. So he offered more than just one answer.

"Maybe they just left us to our own devices."

"What devices? There were no devices there."

Chanyeol ran his fingers through his hair, amused.

"They left us alone. And now we have this whole place to ourselves," Chanyeol walked ahead of Baekhyun, until he reached the area where a boring, nondescript table took center stage. 

Right there, against the treated wood, he leaned back. "What should we do? There's music, should we dance?"

Baekhyun humored him with a hum. It was obvious in his voice that he was enjoying himself. "You know, I used to dance in my home planet. They called me Baekhyun the Wavehyun."

"I need proof."

"Here we go again," Baekhyun pointed a finger at the confident pilot who simply relaxed in waiting. "You should trust me back. And just believe the questionable things I say."

Chanyeol grabbed a seat, spreading his legs to sit on it backwards. He seemed to be ignorant of how to sit in chairs properly.

Without his arrogant face, Baekhyun had trouble feeling confident about how he read the mysterious player Blitz. It was also possible that he just missed his face.

"I'm repeating myself but," Chanyeol mumbled, "There are things I want so bad, and knowing more about you is how you communicate each of those desires in under a minute."

"I call that a blatant lie."

"I call it, a crush," Chanyeol looked away, resting his cheek on his folded arms. Baekhyun watched how he was stomping his legs to the rhythm.

It was Rock With You, by some Terran called Michael Jackson-sunbaenim. 

Chanyeol liked this song. It was not a special thing, his home planet was so hung up on this guy's songs. It was one of those tunes they stuck to for emotional support. Like a tight narrative, the next fleeting thought Chanyeol had was Baekhyun as a runaway, being bathed in all the perversely vivid colors of that city. 

If it's him, those colors wouldn't be so blinding in comparison.

"Bold claim," Baekhyun kept his trembling hands behind him. "I'll need proof on that one. Give me your proof, give me everything you got." 

Chanyeol giggled playfully before he stood up, kicked the seat aside, and offered his hand in what seemed like a cheesy, unexplained gesture. 

_I want to rock with you_

All night  
Baekhyun's eyes twinkled with something, but no one would know. 

Chanyeol would think about that, for a fact, if he wasn't too enamored by the absolute, indisputable paw that Baekhyun gave him without any hesitation.

It's a paw. This small but weathered hand.

"Let's go somewhere."

"I've been to all places available in here."

"Not the one in my mind."

They looked at each other. It took one to know one, and they were two confused idiots in helmets.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was an unsponsored, passion experiment, a successful one the way Baekhyun -- with his goofy but down-to-earth magnetism -- fitted into Chanyeol's world.

It was such a potent image, it might as well have erased all of Chanyeol's history with this scenery. It was all about Baekhyun now and his secret, at times hilarious, tragedy.

This smell of strong after rain. Chanyeol would say it was the fragrance of cyan, neon pink, yellow, and kindred souls. An overload of overrated nostalgia.

But the streets were devoid of loss, the streets were alive. He found out that this was how he remembered this place.

_When Yoora died, this place, at that moment, stopped being his home._

He liked this explanation, it made sense. But even with that, how could he be so attached?

Chanyeol never thought he had sentimentality left for his childhood, but here he was. He realized his first offense: he made sure his first date took place here, just to see what it would look like if Baekhyun had lived with him during that time. Nothing said 'attachment' more than that.

This sight before him was proof that he has loved this city. There was undeniable fondness in every detail, otherwise they just won't exist. Chanyeol really did love the city before he had destroyed it with a basic patrol plane, some fuel and fire.

"Chanyeol!" 

Baekhyun, his new friend, was now standing before that ruin ever existed.

"Where are we?"

Chanyeol jogged up to Baekhyun, if only to put a hand over the latter's fogged up visor. Chanyeol's speech was excessively casual, even for him.

"Does it matter?"

Baekhyun shook his head. 

"Not really. I just wanted to talk to you again."

Baekhyun had many things to think about -- like how he never saw this place in the module before, or how it's infinitely more beautiful than even his favorite corners in the game. Almost as if it was made with a different vision in mind. But he didn't want to dwell on that.

He is at a place and at a time where he didn't want anxiety to interrupt him.

"I'll just figure it out later," Baekhyun mumbled before tugging on Chanyeol's sleeve. "Now let's go."

Chanyeol tilted his head, and Baekhyun shrugged.

"You have something to show me, right, Sir Blitz?"

The pilot tilted his head even more, mockingly.

"I asked you how you can prove you have a crush on me, and you took me here. This was the first place you had in mind, you said," Baekhyun reminded with a bewildered tone.

"I did say that."

"How is this solid proof? Explain like I'm five."

"You're five."

"I'm not, you mean head! Answer the query right and don't be a coward. How is this solid proof?"

"Maybe not to you," Chanyeol sighed so deeply it alerted Baekhyun. He almost sounded dejected. 

"But it's very solid proof to me. I have a crush on you like water is wet. Now it's clear as day, I don't know what to feel." 

The rookie stared at the forlorn pilot, who had this aura of dread surrounding him as he mumbled things under his breath. He wondered if he should feel offended that Chanyeol was this devastated once he found out he liked someone. Then it finally sunk to Baekhyun that _that someone_ was him.

_I'd be devastated too._

"You just confessed. That's a confession. I'm treating that as a confession."

"Like you needed one to know I liked you."

"I'm that type of guy," Baekhyun put his hands on his hips, weak rainwater splashing off his clothes, "I demand reassurance so I don't overthink things. You know why?"

"Why--"

"My hot, flexible, over analytic genius mind."

Chanyeol blew a whiff of air, trying not to burst out in possibly an unattractive laughter. "I kinda got the feeling."

"You enjoy it, satisfying my over analytic genius mind with blatant attacks of flirtation."

"Yeah, you got me."

"We've come full circle."

"Sure," Chanyeol tipped his head, "Now that I _officially like you,_ I'll tell you where I plan to take you."

Baekhyun stayed still, anticipating.

"Somewhere with a roof. If you haven't noticed, it's raining."

Baekhyun lightly shook off his arms, as if that would do anything, and he laughed.

"I haven't noticed. I was kind of focused on you."

Chanyeol bit his lip.

The next thing Baekhyun knew, Chanyeol had his hand interlocked with his, dragging him across the rainy city. He didn't know where they were going, but it didn't matter much because this hand holding thing might be the whole point of it, besides the comfortable silence they shared. This silence was ironic and unexplained, especially as they ran through rain in such a sprawling, living city.

Circling a romantic place while holding hands is a simple dream, which must be why it can affect someone so directly, like a point blank shot with an unmoving target.

Along the way, Baekhyun's hidden eyes shone beneath his visor. Many colors painted his vision, but they all started to blur together. They all blurred despite being so pretty, they couldn't stand out against Chanyeol's broad figure that seemed to block out everything ahead, like it was the only thing that mattered. That was the case until Baekhyun saw one white blob of paint that seemed like it was moving on its own.

He stopped Chanyeol with all his might. He did it surprisingly fast.

"What is it?"

"I saw a small, autonomous alien creature and I have to pet it."

There was no need for approval, Baekhyun chased that blob through the soulful cityscape while the trained pilot tailed him with confused questions.

There was a lot of music behind them, but none of the melody, instruments, or lyrics mattered. Chanyeol only cared about the wind as he ran and ran faster, barely able to catch up to Baekhyun who seemed to fly like light.

 

 

 

 

Baekhyun panted a few times before he fell on the dry pavement. He was soaking wet, but it didn't matter to him that he was shivering.

"The cat's gone."

Chanyeol walked until Baekhyun was by his leg. He was soaked too, which he remembered when he tried to take off the top of his tracksuit, planning to give it to the shivering idiot. Like this, they both shared a passionate moment of pure, unadulterated stupidity. The connection between them was the dumbness they shared.

Chanyeol clicked his tongue, he has a mildly thoughtful look on his face once he saw where they were.

"We should get inside."

"But the cat...?"

The taller male looked down and almost fell when he saw Baekhyun hugging his knees, helmet head partly tucked and snug against his thighs.

Chanyeol's face softened, reflective of his uncontrollable feelings of casual affection.

"It might have went inside, Baekhyun."

"Okay," Baekhyun's pout was completely audible, "what about me? The house owners might be scary. Can I go inside and get the cat?"

"Yes, if you're not too busy being so goddamn cute."

Baekhyun didn't reply outward, he merely mumbled a hushed, "but the house owners." 

Chanyeol assured him that there was no owner. 

Baekhyun simply curled up into a ball while Chanyeol tried to get him inside the house in spite of the entertainment that came with seeing Baekhyun sulk. Soon enough, Baekhyun just gave up acting the part and smashed his body against the pilot in an overly energetic back hug. The door closed behind them, framing a last shot of them bickering again. If there were people outside, they would've instantly thought they were a couple.

 

 

 

 

"No cat." 

It was killing Chanyeol that he couldn't see Baekhyun's pout. It was so obvious from his voice that it physically hurt not to see it. 

"No cat. Cat not here. Cat, none."

Baekhyun puffed air. "Why did it run? It would've loved this home. It's so warm."

Chanyeol sighed to himself, and it was silent for a beat before he decided to get things off his chest.

"It's not bad," the pilot commented, looking like he had a lot left to say but chose to go for the shortest line.

"Not at all. I would live here."

"I bet."

Baekhyun was looking around, finding the colors of the place really interesting to the point it demanded his careful, close inspection. This was because everything was white. The walls, the floor, the furniture were white. The only difference in the palette was the soft cast of grey shadows. No other color contaminated this space.

It was well-lit.

Chanyeol remained seated, hands on his spread thighs. He thought and thought for seconds on end.

"Anyway..."

"Anyway?"

Chanyeol turned around, and saw Baekhyun in the process of stripping off his top, looking like the kind of silk he'd want wrapped around his body. From his deep collarbones, to his built chest, to the subtle cuts of tone in his abdomen. Every movement Baekhyun made was accompanied by the sounds of fabric slipping, running off his skin and falling to the floor.

"Chanyeol?"

Baekhyun made a half-hearted attempt to cover his chest. "It was a bit cold."

"Well, it's not like I wanted to cuddle you or anything."

"You should strip, too. Isn't it uncomfortable?"

"I'm used to the cold."

"You're unbearable, and childish," Baekhyun grumbled, but with his voice it was obvious he cared. "And you sound like you're pouting."

Chanyeol felt personal offense from that statement. He believed Baekhyun should be self-aware -- he thought Baekhyun was better than this. Then he saw said humanoid scampering to him, steps so soft on the floor, arms around himself.   
He was hugging himself, cold, but he went there with an urgency, obvious through his body language.

Baekhyun plopped on the couch.

"Are you sad?"

Chanyeol didn't speak a word.

"You're sad, even though you're with me."

In a flash of blue, pink, and steel, Chanyeol had turned off his helmet, and he looked at Baekhyun with deep eyes, as if that made up for the words he couldn't say. Baekhyun's fingers relaxed as they rest where they were on his biceps. There were more things in his body that needed the energy to lose.

Chanyeol's eyes were kind of electric. 

Like two gentle moons of silver-blue. 

"Don't worry," Baekhyun mumbled a moment after he caught his breath, "I was just teasing you back," he sighed, "but if you were, I care."

The pilot had a vague expression.

"I guess you could say that I had a moment of momentary weakness," he grinned.

"About the cat?"

"Perceptive."

"I just told you. I care. And my analytic mind, remember. Now, tell me what's up."

"Not like this is a sob story, but I have never seen one in the flesh. My stupid planet got them extinct. Like everything else. It was their collective talent."

"That's...unfortunate."

"And funny."

"That, too." Baekhyun looked down. "Well, for me, on my planet, they were in the forests and we interacted with them sometimes." He paused. "They were kind creatures, maybe because they were happy and content. At that time, some of them were bigger than me, they probably ate more crops than I did. I'll stop rambling."

"No, talk more. Your planet sounds like a nice place."

"You would look right at home there, Chanyeol. It was a beautiful place. It's different from the rest. It's a little bit older and had a weird smell?"

"I'd love to visit en route to some bullshit place. Maybe in the future."

"But then we'd have to meet."

"We don't have to."

Pause again.

"I can just go there and see a cat. Unless you want to give me an extravagant welcome. You seem like the type," Chanyeol relaxed on his seat.

"I am. It's a shame you can't go anymore," Baekhyun picked at his fingers. "It's gone."

Chanyeol looked closely at the smaller's gestures.

"Anyway, what's the deal with them? With the cats?"

"They seem like nice people, in my honest opinion."

"And it's... unique?"

"Yeah."

_"You're unique."_

Chanyeol licked his lips.

"I got that. Aren't you sweet?"

"I'll be even sweeter," Baekhyun sighed, bashful and shy, "I'll be your cat."

The face Chanyeol made when he gets turned on is just adorable and sexy, the way his icy blue eyes faltered, how his plump lips opened with a bounce, how his tongue peeked out to taste a hot breath. Catching him off guard was lovely, arousing, because it was such an honest display of emotion and vulnerability.

"What's with the sudden affection?"

"It's the atmosphere."

"Alone in a random house. Rain outside. On the couch together talking about childhood traumas. What more atmosphere could you wish for?" Chanyeol said, cocky.

"Oh, yeah, we can't do it. I told you that."

"There you go," the pilot had a focused look on Baekhyun.

"But we can do something else."

Baekhyun overcame the searing attention on him to say what's on his mind.

 

"We can cuddle, Chanyeol."

 

It wasn't Chanyeol's moment to lose.

_"Chu."_

Baekhyun's eyes opened, and his mouth fell open. He didn't know what to do.

Chanyeol was kissing him.

Chanyeol was kissing his helmet.

What should someone do in this situation?

Lips softly puckered on the visor, Chanyeol should look ridiculous. He's anything but. He looked like the person who was Baekhyun's end. He looked very handsome. He always did. At this point, it had become synonymous to him and whatever he did.

"That's my helmet."

Chanyeol pulled away, his kiss turned into an amused smile.

"I got no choice."

The sound of a tracksuit being zipped down snapped Baekhyun back to the heated reality. In a moment, the top of the tracksuit was thrown to one of the clandestine furniture at the sidelines. Chanyeol showed off his own inviting body, how smooth it was. The large scar right at the middle of his chest contrasted against the surrounding skin which was fair and without blemish. His fleshy cuts were stacked above his navel, giving his torso a lot of dimension.

"On here," he slapped his thigh.

The moment their bodies touched, it was just pure heat that they trembled. Baekhyun had that heat pressing up on him. Chanyeol had it pressing down. There was a lot of pressing involved.

Baekhyun bit his lip, aware that he is on Chanyeol's lap, and it was comfortable.

"Now we talk."

Chanyeol carefully laid a hand on the curve of Baekhyun's back.

"Meow." Baekhyun whispered. "Can I stay here, human?"

With a hearty chuckle, Chanyeol pet Baekhyun's helmet, before he held his neck and tipped it up. "I don't know if the house owners would want a stray."

"Not the house."

Chanyeol sighed deeply, relieved.

"It's a bit lonely in here," Baekhyun mumbled.


	2. Chapter 2

Baekhyun is dying.

Dying in the middle of nowhere, like the typical space dumbass in a loud, void-like universe.

Poetically though, Baekhyun was in the middle of transforming into stardust. 

Though he had just finished one day of some life-like porn game simulation. Escapism is cute if done the right way. Sometimes, it's self-aware and thus, self-fulfilling. 

Baekhyun might be romanticizing the situation a little bit.

Whenever he opens his eyes -- whenever he's completely isolated from the gentle whispers of the neurotransmitters -- he's confronted with the reality that his claim to a day seized happens in something called Space Porn Ultra. It seemed like an entire joke. That's the cruel irony that wraps everything up like a little present for patrons of space operas.

From the window, there were no stars. So there's nothing outside, not even the dead. It was a true-to-the-heart, romantic alien solo expedition.

"I'm just a guy about to die floating around in space. I'm a star."

There's something poignant about how an outdated collection of compiled codes that are past their time has managed to make Baekhyun calm and happy. In more than one way, it gave him a defense. But there's no use crying over spilled space goo, he tried to keep this thought at the back of his mind and it supported all his emotions up until now. It worked well -- it was some defeatism that made Baekhyun feel like he had nothing to lose anyway.

With the distractions away from him, he decided to go confront what he'd see every moment he wakes up once more. At this point it was for the sake of uniformity and repetition. Now, there was the darkness of space, but also the remaining multiverses he had a chance of creating. To put it simply, he went through his options.

The radio never worked. The last signal Baekhyun had received was: "Hostile Encounter at 934." It meant nothing and the person who said it sounded like an asshole.

Even if the radio worked, contact with the outside world would mean his immediate death. He's a fugitive. The assholes back at work wouldn't think twice about cutting heads off for one misconduct.

It was not an option, it was a dead end. Baekhyun, when he planned things, knew that the only chance of success that remained was if Baekhyun managed to pass the key codes to someone who can set off the fire. And he has accomplished that -- his survival was never the main drive. 

It has to be said that the only thing left is to live out the rest of his days silently.

Baekhyun would not want anymore blood on his hands, even if that's a selfish reason to live and breathe by. (He would've loved to see the red fade over time. Everybody would've wanted that for themselves.)

His peace would be founded on the knowledge that he tried his best.

Now, his life. He thought he started it well -- Space Porn Ultra was a non-regulated network that protects every user at the cost of good will with law enforcement. It was a blind spot, and it was on its last legs. For total control, a space like that just shouldn't exist anywhere in the universe. Everyone knew this, and silently retired their opinions to let it have a slow, graceful, and peaceful death. This is exactly what makes it perfect for Baekhyun, it was poetry how they created parallels.

He didn't have a lot of choices.

Baekhyun had thought about this for a long time -- in the bunkers, in the sidelines, in every waking moment. 

He smiled to himself, remembering that one guy. That guy who might just be a space playboy messing around on the intergalactic network. And yet, Baekhyun wanted to trust him. Maybe it was due to the fact that he has never trusted anyone before.

_Would you want him in danger?"_

And that's the zinger of it all.

_I can last a few more weeks, at best._

"You never planned past this anyway," Baekhyun told himself. He was his own truth. And it gives him a sense of peace. Hollow, but peace, nonetheless.

He thought about the words as much as his brain allowed him to. The voice in his head was loud and convicted, but ultimately fell to the tremors and the fear that often manifested in the small things, like a moment of weakness that slipped out even in a mental headspace of numbing safety.

Like this, closing his eyes, didn't make a difference. It only made the voices louder.

_Everyone deserves to live._

Baekhyun shouldn't endanger someone for his little dreams.

Right?

 

_Everyone deserves to live._

 

_Everyone deserves to live._

 

_Everyone deserves to live._

 

_"Everyone deserves to live."_

 

_His mother said, and Baekhyun knew she was a kind woman who had shown her children nothing but love._

The planet was "The Unharmed Yaia" from years past. That time, it was one of the safest places in a universe celebrating war. That's because it existed in a bubble. To the rest of the universe, they were the undisturbed children who only knew of joy and satisfying lives. To the Yaia, the rest of the universe didn't exist. The universe they know of revolved around their three gentle suns.

It was when Baekhyun's hands were still too small to hold a solispullula, a plant of three disks with big yellow petals rounding their radius. When he did get a hold of them, it would topple his then-small, frail body. He often tried lifting them to see how they'd look like against the blue sky. It was one of the perks of living in a planet.

In here, folk songs and native merriment are right at home. In here, the planet blessed by three gentle suns, everyone held a quality of life that altogether built a stronghold of happiness. 

In this bountiful planet of peace and contentment, Baekhyun's family was a nuclear one. There was a family like them in every home, but they were the model example.

Baekhyun's Mater, Kyung Ran, an intelligent, celebrated woman who stood proud as a senior overseer to the plantations. Many admired her for her competence, grace, kindness, and raw ability. She was powerful, yet she was a self-sacrificing leader, and Baekhyun often looked up to her as an image of what a real adult should be.

More than the flowers, Kyung Ran was a sun. _I was born from a sun,_ Baekhyun thought whenever he had a moment of affection for his mom. Most of the time, he happened to be eating dinner when he got that feeling, eating a freshly-roasted bread filled with a variety of berries, floral extract, and sweet grass. 

"Gentle in eating," Kyung Ran would say, as she handed him another piece, pinching his cheek when he munched too loudly.

Among her children, Kyung Ran had a soft spot for Baekhyun, being lenient and loving even at the biggest mistakes, like overlooking a broken worship vase that has been passed down for generations. 

She simply swept it up.

"Mamy," Baekhyun cried then, clear teardrops soaking his face in steady streams. Soft hiccups prevented him from speaking out the apologies he had practiced in front of the mirror. He improvised with incoherent sobs instead. "I'm sorry, I bumped into it."

The mother looked at the vase, speechless. She made it very clear multiple times in the past that she loved this vase. Baekhyun himself had joked about her hugging it in her sleep, and she would answer -- it was one time, and you were supposed to be sleeping. 

Baekhyun started to hiss from how much he's crying when Kyung Ran shook her head and patted her robe down. She was sure that Baekhyun couldn't see her lips form a smile. She squatted to his minimal height, she always did so she could see Baekhyun eye-to-eye.

"It's just a vase," her voice was gentle and understanding. In her mind she wondered, how could Baekhyun be scared? She has never scolded him.

"Yes, but it's an important vase," the child sniffled, "you even hugged it in your sleep."

Kyung Ran coughed, but like an understanding parent, she let it slide. 

"Do you think it's more important than you?" Kyung Ran questioned with pursed lips once she had wiped some of his tears and snot.

Baekhyun looked away to think, and he had this fire in his eyes. A baby fire. Kyung Ran made a mental note to laugh at it with the family later.

"Depending if it's cursed or something...r-right? I'm just Baekhyun. The vase is...taller. _For now._ "

Kyung Ran couldn't help herself after all, and she burst into laughter.

Baekhyun patiently waited for her to feel like talking to him again, she was so busy giggling, so he sniffled to pass the time.

After she has laughed her last, Kyung Ran stared at her son's face -- for a moment too long, one would think she's examining his features carefully. It was a thoughtful look that told of her feelings. That was when her smile turned from serene to mischievous, and she held Baekhyun's face tenderly with certain fondness.

"Baeki."

His nickname. Everyone called him so. In their language, it meant "blessing."

She then pinched his cheeks and pulled a little to the sides, its plumpness almost elastic, gelatinous. Baekhyun stayed quiet instead of complaining and flailing, which was his well-documented habit ever since he started participating in the morning village exercises. 

"Granna will get mad at Mamy when she finds out. You have to help me out then, Baeki?" Kyung Ran teasingly pleaded, knowing that one of Baekhyun's fears is making his grandmother just a bit sad, even though it was an irrational fear. No one in this world would ever hate Baekhyun, but the child didn't know that yet.

"I will tell Granna that Pater did it," soft sobs broke his little voice, "I'm sorry. I'll be more careful, I'll stop being clumsy. I'll be the most careful person. Please don't stop loving me, Mamy."

The mother's eyes showed surprise and guilt. A few seconds with Baekhyun's honesty and her face softened, her eyes dilated, and she simply laughed, ruffling her son's golden brown locks that framed his face gently. 

"I won't stop loving you, Baeki. You're my only hope."

She sealed her promise with another hefty, cheek pinch and a kiss to Baekhyun's forehead.

"Yay, I'm so happy I'm forgiven," Baekhyun sobbed, clearly overjoyed, and Kyung Ran hugged him and carried him up. Her little fairy, Baekhyun. Her blessing, a blessing to their world.

Among her favorite things to tell Baekhyun, one was about how he was their last child. With him, the family had all the happiness and assurance they needed. They became complete. Baekhyun made all the problems go away.

The house's Pater, Baixi, was a midtier scientist who turned in numbers to the Great Government each hour. He wasn't home often, but when he was, he made sure Baekhyun ate the largest portions, to the ire of the other kids whom he shushed with a simple look.

Baekhyun had always thought his dad was a little goofy, but it made him more lovable in that area. One popular theory among the wholesome gossip circles in the village was how Kyung Ran liked Baixi specifically because he's slow. But as much as the man was slow, he was also generous and kind.

"I was a small child, like you," he'd say flatly as if he didn't even believe himself. He fixed up the crops on Baekhyun's plate, and Baekhyun noticed it included the vegetables Baixi hated, "eat a lot. Stay healthy, and grow fast."

"You're still small though, Pater. Even though you're an adult."

Everyone seated at the table had their own lighthearted chuckles at that. Kyung Ran, in particular, was looking at her husband with doting eyes.

"Yes, that's what I'm trying to say," the father mumbled and patted Baekhyun's head. 

"Eat your ugli fruit," the young one whispered.

"It smells weird! It smells weird, okay, Baeki. You'd understand when you're older."

He wasn't always around, but when he was, he helped Baekhyun do things better, even though Kyung Ran was the one who had the effective solutions. In hindsight, he was a bit silly.

Still, Father Baixi was the one who helped Baekhyun score great on every exam, a product of the nights he focused helping Baekhyun understand concepts, his explanations deeper than what average children get. Even though there was not much benefit with having more ability -- in this world everyone was treated equally so as long as they don't break the law.

Baekhyun's siblings, Baekbeom and Heechul wore their flesh-colored robes and weaved berets with pride. They were beloved in the village, and most young ones looked at them like cool heroes, Baekhyun included.

"You ever wondered why there are three suns?" Baekbeom raised the wooden flower plane above his head. Heechul raised Baekhyun above his head to counter, which caused Baekbeom to surrender with fresh terror and fear on his face.

"Because it's a code for I love you," Heechul said as he set Baekhyun down.

"Because they're actually one sun but split into three, after being loved by three different moons," Baekhyun answered, referencing the mythology of the loved Uto and the heartbroken Pia, who was the deity always meant to be the only one in this world. Thus, alone for all eternity.

"No. Because there's three of us." Baekbeom crossed his arms.

"One sun, two suns, three suns."

"...Baekbeom."

"They rhyme with son."

"We understand."

"You were looking at me like you didn't get it..."

"We didn't want to get it."

Baekbeom was the well-meaning, but rather brash brother. He was always the one with the mundane observations to distract the two from his losses. Heechul was the sneaky one who'd get caught here and there, reasoning that outwitting is better than outrunning, and Baekhyun was the reliable younger brother who showed too much promise for his age, yet still maintaining an innocence that is unique and inherent to him. 

But between them three, there was a strong, considerate brotherhood. Baekbeom and Heechul both cared for their youngest brother. Some physical manifestations of this care and love were the white flags they made one chilly afternoon.

Baekhyun's flag was so small.

"What are these for?"

Baekbeom and Heechul looked at each other with odd expressions.

"If you wave them," Heechul sighed, "you would feel safe, Baekhyun. Baekbeom saw the elders do it last feast."

Baekhyun waved the white flag in a little radius in front of him. 

"H-How are you?" Baekbeom stuttered, looking worried with his droopy eyes wide open. "Do you feel safe?"

"I find it very fun," Baekhyun commented with his plump cheeks moving a little. "I don't think it's for safety."

"I knew it," the eldest brother reacted with a raised fist, "it didn't make sense. We're forever safe here. It must be a super fun social activity."

"You were really worried about that," Heechul laughed. "Well, I was, too."

Both Baekbeom and Heechul were in Tier A, they schooled right in the middle level of the King Tower, where all children learned how to work on the lands and cultivate their own resources for trade to the other continents. Many parents wanted their children in this category so they can work with them and always have their jobs protected by the state.

It was a peaceful and bountiful way to live. It was sustainable, yet never stagnant. Every cycle, the Yaia became even more beautiful.

Baekhyun loved looking at those fields all the way from the top level of the tower.

It has been years since he last enjoyed the treasures Yaia offered, his memories only served to make him feel that immeasurable length of time spent away from home. He was sad, the way every child in here was sad, a side effect of being special.

Tier S had to be up there, because it used energy from below. There were a lot of devices on the top floor that needed energy, including the hollow pillars that served as tubes where the children slept. It was far from a bed, but it had its own comfort, like its dim lights that had a faint glow at night, when each one of these small souls rested and dreamt of infinite time to spend in their little utopia. No one in this planet dreamt of more.

These were the small spaces where the children gathered when the thunders were loud. The confinements were cozy and kept their heads tightly supported. The rest of the floor was dedicated to learning materials, such as books and testing machines with abstract games and monitoring devices. 

Baekhyun has been here ever since he scored the highest out of all the children his age at the annual examinations.

It wasn't as lonely as the plain walls and floors would suggest. He had his friends here, like the cheerful Jongin who excelled physically and hated beets, and the quiet Kyungsoo who had a wonderful voice and an innocent love for music. There were tall and knowledgeable magisters that gave them food and told them when to rest, eat, or study.

Some other days, they'd get to run in the larger floor below them, and whoever is fastest will have an earlier visitation date. But it has been a while since the last event, and Jongin in particular felt attacked. He won every time, after all.

On normal days, the magisters fostered their education, and on their mouths were variations of testaments, all stating that S-tier children are the hope of this land. _You are the children that will help keep this land peaceful and full of food, shelter, and safety._ Sometimes, they'd hear people calling them the Children of Hope.

Baekhyun's life was a routine, except for the new games Jongin and Kyungsoo would invent after every exam to deal with the exhaustion and sadness of scoring one point lower than usual. Jongin and Kyungsoo were thankful to the magisters, so Baekhyun shared that feeling of gratitude.

One day, Baekhyun was told to come to the study. It was before dinner, and Baekhyun didn't want to come. He had a bad feeling in his stomach. That feeling was called hunger.

"Baekhyun, you're going home tomorrow."

When the teacher said that, Baekhyun beamed with the smile he practiced everyday. This child thought that if he showed how happy he was during these moments, they would let him out more. It always worked with the non-magister people.

He practiced this smile, sparing a thought for this wish every day, but he still failed on a technical level -- because he didn't practice the tears that streamed down his soft cheeks. Very clear tears. These were not part of the plan, but he let them flow anyway.

His small hands were curled up into tight fists. 

He waited so long for this moment. 

His time well before this was spent studying and understanding the laws of the world. He studied diligently, like his Parens taught him. All of a sudden, all the time spent became time forgotten.

Hearing he has been granted a visit was a very happy moment, possibly the happiest moment this year for him. The last he'd seen them was well over a year ago.

He was a simple child, after all.

"I'm so happy for Baeki," Jongin frowned and held his sown teddy bear close to his chest the next morning. He held it too tight, which worried Kyungsoo who tried his best to save the bear from Jongin's claws. Or so he wanted the others to think. Kyungsoo really wanted to save Jongin from himself, because Jongin was a bear.

"Nini, they will let us visit, too," Kyungsoo gripped Jongin's arm, "Baekhyun just has high-high scores. And he's too noisy, Magister Li wanted him to go home."

Baekhyun pouted at Kyungsoo, whose heart-shaped lips stretched into a teasing, but loving smile. Jongin shook his head fast, burying his face onto his bear, his cheeks jutting out from the sides of it.

"But I will miss you."

"I'll come back after a day, Nini," Baekhyun grinned brightly, "besides, you have Kyungsoo."

"But he always sings the "Merry Birthday Song" even though it's not his birthday. It does not make sense, no," the kid sucked on his bottom lip. "He's a dewuwu."

"You foolish child," Kyungsoo pouted and stole the teddy bear off of Jongin's arms. "It is a mechanism! To fool oneself that every day is a day worth looking forward to!"

Baekhyun's expression softened as he watched the other two kids fight each other to death.

"Be thankful I'm not singing sad songs," Kyungsoo mumbled before slamming the teddy bear back inside Jongin's clutch. The younger boy whimpered and scooted to Baekhyun's side.

"I won't be gone for too long, okay?" Baekhyun giggled as he watched the lively pair start to pointlessly bicker again. "I bet when I come back, you two are still fighting."

Baekhyun wanted tell everyone about his fun and kind friends by dinner. There's a lot of stories Mater and Pater would find amusing, and Baekbeom and Heechul had always been curious about Tier S. He told them about Jongin and Kyungsoo before, but back then, he didn't know they'd be this close.

"Come back soon, Baekhyun."

Kyungsoo's voice was high-pitched and cute, but his tone was serious and it made Baekhyun snort.

"We're your family too," the heart-shaped lipped kid gave him a thumbs up full of hesitation. Baekhyun simply stared at it, blinking with his lips open. He figured he'd raise his thumb back at Kyungsoo, since the latter seemed to be waiting for something.

"What are you doing!" Kyungsoo wailed and Jongin giggled, slapping the floor before rolling on it in apology. Baekhyun's one stray lock of hair had gone up in a comical coincidence, causing the other children to be interested in the scene.

"It's a promise. We're supposed to make our thumbs hug," Kyungsoo took a hysterical Jongin's paw and began to force their thumbs together. The usually quiet child huffed, "It's to seal a promise."

"I thought it was called pinky promise," Baekhyun softly whispered.

Kyungsoo blinked a few times, "It's never called that."

"What is this called then?"

"A thumb treaty. Of course, it's a thumb treaty."

"It's a dumb treaty!" A kid at the back yelled before Jongin threw the teddy bear at him and making Kyungsoo just a little bit angrier.

Baekhyun smiled, eyes turning into crescents. "Okay! Let's seal the thumb treaty."

"Jongin will officiate," Jongin licked his lips and kept it peeking as he joined the three-way thumb wrestle that just looked stupid from their classmates' point of view. Still, the children looked every bit proud.

"Even though you're coming back tomorrow, for us who will miss you right away, it will feel like years," Jongin mumbled as he held all of their hands together. Baekhyun looked at the faces of his best friends. Kyungsoo was smiling and Jongin was not. A total departure from their usual selves.

"Baeki will come back from home. Into his second home. Also known as inside our short arms."

Kyungsoo and Jongin nodded in unison. 

"And then when you come back, we'll want you gone again."

"Don't forget me, my friends," Baekhyun started to sniff, causing Kyungsoo to sniff, causing Jongin to burst out crying that Magister Yang had to come check on the children.

 

 

 

"27 hours. You have a full day. Don't let your brain rot during that time period, always do the exercises we taught you, even with your eyes closed," Magister Li escorted Baekhyun to his home that night. The lantern on the magister's hand illuminated the humble path across the plains. On his other hand, a tether connected to the tied rope around Baekhyun's neck, carefully made so it wouldn't leave blemishes.

"Yes, Great Magister," Baekhyun giggled with every step until the rope was pulled and he stopped bouncing to walk properly.

"Your Parens will be there. They will tell you what to do next, child."

"Yes, Great Magister."

"Always remember what we taught you, even if you don't remember your teachers."

"Why do you sound like you're saying goodbye, Magister?" Baekhyun had a stroke of courage from the proximity of his home. He figured a question would be answered now, especially from how much answers he had provided. He was granted a short pause and a minute delay from home. "Are you leaving?" The child asked and light ran through his eyes from the teacher's point of view.

Magister Li simply laid a hand on his head. 

Once they're at the end of the sleeping plains, where no citizen ever had to work on for more than a few hours, the teacher looked at child, from top to bottom. He's staring at how he's grown up and how brilliant he looked. 

The last thing he muttered to him that night was a statement full of pride.

"You're the planet's hope. Thank you for saving us." Magister Li had smiled, and it reached his tired eyes, creases all around the lids.

For Baekhyun, this was the first time any of the magisters showed real emotion, and it made his heart leap in pride. The child's efforts paid of, and he felt proud of himself rather than wary of his status as a bearer of hope.

With a bright voice, he said out loud, "See you soon, Magister Li!"

In that moment, Magister Li's smile dropped. 

Baekhyun came home to the humble house with the flowery yard. The other houses were lively with the lights making windows shine, and so was his house. But for some reason, his was shining brighter.

Baekhyun came home to the smell of freshly-made food, grass tea and blankets so warm they had a cozy smell weaved into them. He knew they were there even before he saw them.

Baekhyun finally came home.

For Baekhyun, home was a warm hug. Home was the feeling of his family, the people who swore to love and protect him despite failures and mistakes, keeping their promise without hesitation. 

At home, Baekhyun was just Baekhyun -- youngest son of Baixi and Kyung Ran who had a favorite pink weaved blanket he called "Blankie". Baekhyun was the favorite brother of Baekbeom and Heechul who let him win in foot races across the woods whenever he came home.

As the door opened and the lights washed over him, Baekhyun knew. The home he referred to was his family.

And the two scary men behind his parents were not part of it.

"I'm home."

Mater and Pater's hug was different today, Baekhyun had a little voice in his head that told him all about it. The was warm, too warm to the point it burned. Perhaps this intensity was due to how much the parents wanted their child to feel it. This was an embrace that has been building up for a year.

"Baeki, we missed you," Kyung Ran's voice was full of relief. 

"Me too, Mamy," the child smiled wide, still finding it easy to even in uncertainty.   
Despite his fear of the strangers, Baekhyun smiled with happiness. This is because in his heart, that's what love is supposed to be. There's no way he'd let a moment like this get lost in the face of what little fear he has. 

_Ah!_ Baekhyun finally got what was wrong with the hug, his eyes shone bright and anxiety turned out to just be impatience.

"Where's Baekbeom and Heechul?"

"They're..." His parents looked at each other, with looks that they told Baekhyun not to worry about before. It took an eternity until the smiles were back on their faces, and they pushed Baekhyun deeper into their embrace, as if they were shielding him.

"You love them, right, Baekhyunnie?" Baixi whispered softly, his characteristic black stare present on his eyes, but his voice was very comforting and affectionate.

"What's the matter?" Baekhyun tilted his head with childish innocence, but his voice gave away the fact that he wanted answers as soon as possible. "Where are they?"

Pater's jaw was clenched, and his smile slowly formed into a gentle one, rather than a smile of bright reassurance.

"Your brothers will be safe."

Baekhyun sighed in relief, and his heart was happy.

"If you go with them."

Suddenly, in Baekhyun's innocent eyes, the black armored knights came into the reflection, faces obscured by stiff helmets with opaque visors. Baekhyun would like to know if there were smiles underneath those masks, or if they had eyes like everyone else did. This was because he always looked at how people let emotions show in their eyes. These men had none of it, which made Baekhyun think they had no souls. 

"Is that all?" He still complied. He wanted to see his brothers as soon as possible, it didn't matter to him how long he had waited already. "I'll go with them. For how long, Mamy?"

"Baeki, don't worry about it," Baixi ran his hands through his hair. 

"Why not? They're my brothers. I'm their little brother," the child blinked slowly, not liking the atmosphere. It didn't feel like home despite his parents being there.

"We'll live," Kyung Ran sighed calmly, releasing all of her built up tension, "we'll live, safe and sound. That includes your brothers. That's everyone."

Everyone?

Baekhyun felt like something was missing. But the black knights were becoming closer, and closer, and closer, he didn't really have the time to think about the details. The black knights were becoming closer, and closer, and closer, and they didn't have eyes. Baekhyun felt the first sting and twisting of fear, and he wanted to get away but he didn't know where to go.

Until they're holding him by the wrists, they wanted to take him somewhere, that much was obvious.

Baekhyun realized then, that his parents weren't hugging him anymore. He didn't realize when the world turned cold. These two things, he didn't even know if they were there from the start. It was weird, he would like to have more time for a comforting, warm hug. He answered a hundred exams just to get a hug, and he felt something was wildly unfair about the way he was let go so easily. He thought he was their favorite, he thought they loved him a lot.

"Baekhyun, thank you."

Baekhyun simply obeyed, because he didn't know where else to go. Kyung Ran and Baixi seemed like they expected this to happen, with those rewarded expressions that they had on at that moment. Seeing this, Baekhyun thought they must have a plan, right? Even though Mater and Pater were crying. 

They seemed like tears of joy. With that, everything will be okay. This is all part of the plan to save Baekbeom and Heechul, and Baekhyun is the tiny hero while his parents are the main heroes, planning this whole thing to get rid of the bad guys. What the child didn't know was that in the adult's minds, this sealed their safety and the security of their family life that was suffering under the threat of the war-hungry factions. Some sacrifices had to be made.

"Baekhyun."

Kyung Ran smiled, eyes bright as she watched Baekhyun step towards the soldiers. He was always a brave and understanding child, she raised him to be that way because she knew it will be good for the family.

"Now, everyone on this planet would live longer." Baixi was relieved, as if a burden had been taken off his shoulders and all his problems in the world were solved by hope. By Baekhyun.

All Baekhyun could remember then was how small everything was the farther he got away from it. 

Their house was small, so small. He wondered how he ever thought it could ever house five people, and three children that needed care and love. Of course, someone had to be cut off.

The plains were small. And the plants on their were small, despite everyone working on these plains for a few hours every day. It was all they did, every day. They didn't have a lot to feed, because each house only had around one or two children. Baekhyun's family was the big one and he was always proud of this fact.

The King Tower was small, the top level even smaller compared to the rest of the levels. Almost as if it was never meant to be a level of its own. Baekhyun remembered a word in the dictionary that he memorized: Attic. This must be why his parents didn't like to visit.

The continent was so small, and soon Baekhyun found that it had neighbors that seemed like the exact same copies, all surrounded by red seas that he had never seen before. He thought they were supposed to be blue. 

The planet was small, so small. Baekhyun thought that small planet was his entire world, and his entire life.

The spaceship he was riding reminded him of the pillars that served as his third home, after his family and his friends.

Just when he was easing in into his confusion, and his isolation, he realized a problem. If they were flying away from home, didn't that mean they would crash onto the three gentle suns? The beloved, three gentle suns that their village had thrown feasts for and worshiped every Harvest.

He got an answer when he saw the three suns closer than he ever thought possible. 

They were glowing, and burning, and ready to fire. Most of its beams are directed at the planet.

 

 

 

 

 

"Have you ever heard of war while inside that factory?"

"The planet was a neutral state. It didn't see war, because it was so close to it."

Baekhyun recited the correct answers with a tight chest and a brittle resolve -- that day didn't start well but he didn't know it would turn out this bad.

"The brightest children are exported to the other planets as valuable resource and material. It didn't matter which one -- they were randomly distributed. Everybody was promised their share of resource, as per the conditions set by the Treaty of Harmony."

Baekhyun watched as the captain paced along the concave, impenetrable glass wall overlooking the three suns, Galactic Sodality-made dormant superweapons that can be used anytime the treaty is broken. The subtle glow of the weapons was colored cosmic ivory -- a weak contrast to the thin, glowing red edges that surrounded it and the claustrophobic white that framed the whole picture into an aquarium-like existence. The colors of the loyal -- the Arcangel colors were modeled after the planetary god Venus, who supplied their power and their intelligence through chemicals and teachings that appeared magically just in time for every lecture.

In this limited spectrum of colors, Captain BB's eyes were a blinding silver. It was an outlier, as if the color was never meant to be there, and they glowed brighter each day, captivating the soldiers who dared to look up.

They said it was a symptom. The speculation going around was that the vibrancy was an unexpected side effect that showed after a life well-lived. Certainly, the captain had a human-like appearance, but his skin had started to crack. No one knew for sure, only those who were given the chance to test it out themselves.

Baekhyun didn't dare falter then. In his mind, he reminded himself every second of every hour that any sign of non-alignment will deem him unworthy. The process of regaining back this worth was another round inside the spokeless wringer.

No rest in a place of silence, that's about as ironic as punishment could get.

"That's your homeland, the Yaia."

Baekhyun shook his head, stiff and emotionless. "No, it isn't."

The captain was holding this red stick with a sharp, needle-like end, and Baekhyun tried not to stare at it for too long, even though his nerves were telling him to look and be cautious. He had split-second visions of that needle pricking his skin, pouring all of its contents inside his body. The superior's voice boomed in the closed-off room. "What's your home?" He barked, creases on his face.

"The land of Arcangel. Aether," Baekhyun's eyes didn't falter.

"Remember that."

Baekhyun wished years later that the captain stopped there.

"Now blow up this planet, Angel 04."

Baekhyun had become used to letting his anger consume him from the inside, so it didn't show on his pretty face. It showed, however, on the way his blood pumped under his skin, how his pulse ran, and how his light amber eyes faltered. It showed in the way he had stopped breathing.

He closed his eyes for a moment, hoping everything was part of the test. Otherwise, it would be a pity. He wanted to live longer. He figured he'd live longer, to thank Kyung Ran and Baixi for the life they gave him, for Kyungsoo and Jongin who are still waiting back at home, unless they were next in line to be delivered. In which case, Baekhyun would love to live longer to convince himself that those two will survive too. He'd always thought they were better and brighter than he ever was; if Baekhyun could live longer, then Kyungsoo and Jongin would live. 

It would be a pity for all this to amount to failure, but it would be poetry. It would make Baekhyun's life the life of a savior, no matter how short it was.

"I answer to you, Captain BB," Baekhyun said with all of his voice. Just his voice. His soul, at that moment, was somewhere else. Anywhere but there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can aliens fall in love?

They should be able to. A lot of Baekhyun's aliens had minds and memories. The capability to attach to these concepts constituted a lot of what love is. 

What is the difference between the romance of aliens and the romance of humans? It must be: one was unheard of to the other. The number of planets in this solar system represented the number of different romances you could pursue. These made the destinations of every space exploration multiply exponentially.

Baekhyun wanted to confess to Blitz of unknown origin.

He won't be confessing everything, just his heart. 

The art of being concise is choosing what things to say. Baekhyun only wanted to say the things that mattered. Unlike most people, he believed that words were limited.

Baekhyun found Chanyeol in the Unmoving Ride of Broken Moons(trademark). Precisely, in the cliff that overlooked the moonsets. There was no exploration of the sort, and Chanyeol did send him a message that told him the coordinates. But Baekhyun would say he had found Chanyeol, because in that moment, the pilot seemed lost into the landscape. 

The moons over this planet were cycling at a rate of three per hour. They were constantly traveling through the coral-violet, reddish sky. The clouds in this planet were bluish because of their chemistry, and every now and then they would scatter and disappear, like silent fireworks.

Enthusiasts have called this place the Merry-Go-Ellipse of their solar system, the Milkier Way. Baekhyun called it, "How convenient for Chanyeol to choose such a romantic place". He wondered why such a place had no other people in it, he had no idea about its lore after all. Either way, any place was romantic as long as he was there.

He was standing besides the pilot, hands cold in nervousness. Baekhyun licked his lip to try and alleviate it, but he managed to speak.

"I tried being with other people today."

Chanyeol's eyes widened, and he looked up slowly. Against the masterpiece of a planet, he was this illustrious, elusive fairy himself. He was roguish, but pretty.

And he was eating a cream puff. 

JD had those available in his store, most of them for food play. Baekhyun never brought from there or ate in this game because he didn't want to spend his credits from the minigames yet, at least not until he reached an amount over 10000. He never had to deal with currency in his life, so he liked them for their aesthetic value. Aside from that, he never felt like eating. Unlike orgasm, the game couldn't supply nutrition in real life, so there was no point anyway. One would come to the game in ideal condition.

Chanyeol's eyes laid on Baekhyun for a moment, and the latter missed it as he obliviously stared at the sky.

"Let me guess," Chanyeol rested his face on his hand, he was in a good mood that day, "space vampire?"

Baekhyun huffed, recognizing that they were speaking like this today, and then he stomped his feet, getting the blues off. The land where he kicked off had flaked into polygons of purple and blue. Baekhyun cleared his throat, "Vladislactatius is my friend."

"I know," Chanyeol swallowed down the cream with indifference and a small pout, "I wasn't jealous."

Baekhyun spared a nervous glance at the other before he sighed again in an attempt to calm himself.

"You can have friends, of course, that's not up to me," the pilot clarified as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "it's not like everyone is here just for sex. I mean, most of them do, yeah, maybe me. Not the point. Friends are great."

The smaller male jeered at that.

"I know, I have made friends, not just Vlad... A lot of people here are lovely. I never expected so many people to be this reasonable, the opposite seemed more likely. It'd make more sense if they're rude," Baekhyun said as he stayed still to look up at the calming revolution of the pink moon. It made him feel like he was floating. 

"I've been thinking, I had lots of conspiracy theories. One of them was that this game was an alternate dimension, after all," Baekhyun closed his statement with a frown, a melancholic observation.

With that, Blitz smiled, there was amusement and relief in the way he did. Is this how Baekhyun acted when he was nervous?

Baekhyun was unaware of how he came onto the other male, as he lingered on the fact that Chanyeol's hair was down, and it made him look so soft and warm, despite being his usual self, with his detached behavior that would turn anyone's wake cold. Shoving the last of the cream puff in his mouth, Chanyeol made a pleased sound. "I heard JD filtered out those with bad intentions. I can let you in on the secret, if you want. Unless you want to do something else..."

Baekhyun flinched before quickly shaking his head, "I-I'm not planning on doing something else. I'd like to listen to whatever you have to say, Sir Blitz. I'm just an ear, a patient, obedient ear. An ear can't do anything."

Chanyeol loved Baekhyun, for this. He thought the shorter was always entertaining with his hijinks. 

"Totally not suspicious of you."

"Investigate me." Baekhyun lifted his arms a little and flailed them inexplicably to drive his point home. "I'm totally not suspicious."

 _You can't even show your face_ , Chanyeol thought. But he didn't want to bring that up as he wanted Baekhyun to remove it on his own volition. He just shrugged and mumbled, "I believe you. Anyway, like I said, from all the talks I've had with other players..."

Baekhyun nodded and hummed to show that he was listening, and not indignant at the reminder that the Blitz was an experienced player who has had many partners.

"JD chose who he allowed into this game."

From JD's explanation when the game started, he sounded like he didn't restrict anyone from coming here. It's why Baekhyun chose to come here despite his situation. This was a theory different from what little he heard from others, too. He wondered whether the creators of the game were in a position of absolute neutrality or not.

But he was here, and he was by definition, a criminal. What was the truth?

Chanyeol continued with a flat, mildly interested tone.

"That is casting aside those who violate the consent law, or those who start a slow trajectory, like in a pattern of abuse. It makes you think of how complex this game is, and how powerful its creator, to sense grim thoughts and eliminate them in time.

It's almost a game with a discriminatory god. Interesting, don't you think?" 

Chanyeol chuckled to ground the conversation, and there was a slight hint of self-deprecation. His gaze was a far distance away, "I almost want to dissect it. myself.."

Baekhyun was blank, not knowing how to respond, so he just let words pass through. "I, too, am very interested in the inner workings of this game."

The pilot laughed airily after one solid second of looking at Baekhyun's stance. It has become a habit, and he pretty much accepted that he was amused by the littlest things Baekhyun would do, "You said that so strangely."

"It's surprisingly wholesome, isn't it? I have a soft heart," Baekhyun shook his head, tongue-in-cheek as he shrugged, still trying to shake off the nervousness of his impending embarrassing plan.

"Then you're safe here," Chanyeol had his eyes back on the moon, "Some angels can't even get in. But some do."

Baekhyun smacked his lips together. "Like you?"

"Like you," Chanyeol dismissively bit back.

It was silent, except for the low rumble of the sky moving whichever way it wanted to. The clouds had their own music, had their own dusty sound effect and a crisp splash whenever they scattered into many particles across the busy airspace. Patting down the space beside him, Chanyeol signaled Baekhyun to take his place. It was inviting, Chanyeol looked so kind and welcoming just like the first time he assisted for a clueless newbie, but Baekhyun refused, opting not to obey as a tiny, unspoken act of rebellion. It was so he could get himself moving, the acute Chanyeol didn't let him off this time.

"This makes me think you're going for a surprise attack," the pilot looked up with narrowed eyes, as if he was challenging the other.

"What can I do? Throw you off the cliff?" Baekhyun tilted his head, dumbfounded.

"With your inexplicable strength? Yeah. I'll respawn behind you and push you too."

"Then let's just jump together."

Chanyeol stared at Baekhyun with a deep, superior emotion. 

He was thinking, it seemed like, and the idea culminated when his eyes turned into beautiful crescents. He liked the sound of that, and he wanted Baekhyun to know. His lips formed into an uncontrolled smile, just easy like the way he is, and inviting in the way they quivered to some unknown rhythm. Baekhyun cared for these details, and he knew he was being unfair because Chanyeol didn't have the same luxury.

"I want to jump with you, Baekhyun."

Chanyeol exhaled deeply, almost releasing all of his strength through that one deep breath. Baekhyun's fingers curled, and he shared the same rhythm and pulse. He let go of all inhibitions and he found his voice when he replied to Blitz.

"But then we'd wake up."

The response and courage it took was worth it, as Chanyeol's lips fell open, completely in awe.

That made Baekhyun weak, so he gave in, and took the seat offered to him. The wind there was mild and gentle yet so constant and unwavering. All the way through it ran along Chanyeol's hair and the fabric he wore. Baekhyun's nondescript, black robe was heavier, so it didn't move to the wind.

"You could say..." Baekhyun started, but lost his train of thought along the way when he saw the taller male. 

The sky was so beautiful, the blue clouds were energetically dispersing like bubbles. Once Baekhyun reclaimed his heart back, he, once more, asked Chanyeol for help with the little things. Like forming words for emotions that he was too embarrassed to feel and officially name.

"Are we dreaming, Chanyeol?"

The pilot looked at him with a gaze so soft, it would break hearts. It didn't take him a second to think of a response.

"Every time," he whispered melodiously, "technically. You can put it that way. It does seem like it. Like a lucid dream."

"So if I meet you every time," Baekhyun hugged his knees, ignoring his heart that wanted to jump first, passing the both of them. It was excited, and it was beating. "That would make each of my dreams about you."

The taller male glanced at him, curious and stupefied. "You said you didn't want to be attached."

Baekhyun shook his head cutely. "It's a dream. You forget them when you wake up."

Chanyeol closed his eyes, but he nodded silently. Baekhyun got the feeling that he was enjoying the vagueness and utter disgraceful fluff of their back and forth. At least he hoped he did, because Baekhyun needed all the help he could get to confess.

"You connect the dots like they're constellations," Chanyeol said, confirming Baekhyun's theory. He was playing along gracefully, and he sounded so good.

"Of course," Baekhyun mumbled, "I developed a wild imagination after I got here. My hot, analytic, imaginative overthinking mind."

"Nice, so nice, but it's probably not as wild as mine," Chanyeol mumbled as he raised a hand to touch Baekhyun's neck with the tip of his fingers. It ran from there to the middle of Baekhyun's helmet, and it would look ridiculous to outsiders. But there were none, since in that world, they were alone. They were the only two that mattered. Thus, no one was there to find it ridiculous. 

Baekhyun found it sweet. Endearing. Those have become synonymous to the cold player.

"Right now, I'm imagining a smile. It's difficult."

Chanyeol's expression was inexplicable, but seemed to be grounded in melancholy and quiet admiration.

"Like everything with the first try?" Baekhyun asked with a soft voice.

"Hm. No references for me," the pilot's hand dropped slowly, his touch gone, Baekhyun immediately wanted it back. "I haven't seen something so beautiful. Even I'm having trouble making it up."

 _Liar_ , Baekhyun thought. He wanted the upper-hand, not Blitz taking all his words away with sweet nonsense.

"That was a wild detour, Sir Blitz," Baekhyun expressed firmly with a gentle voice, and it sounded like a smile, washed over like the most beautiful fleeting moment that no one in the universe will ever see.

"I had to match your speed."

Baekhyun's hand trembled. "So, going back to the dreams I've been having..."

"I don't know how many dreams you have left, but I'd like to be in each one. If that's what you're asking."

_I like you._

_Now._

"Actually, I've been having this one, really long dream," Baekhyun felt so relieved, like all of his worries have become unknown, like he had dropped everything down below. "It's you."

Chanyeol stared, speechless.

"You're really long."

Letting the incomprehensible dig slide, Chanyeol clicked his tongue and looked away, Baekhyun thought he could see some of the sky reflecting on the pilot's cheeks. "This is embarrassing. I get it. We'll dream together...and do dumb shit in here. That's what you want, right?"

Chanyeol didn't know how happy the other guy was.

"You're so grumpy and flirty."

"And you like it," Chanyeol scoffed, annoyed with heated cheeks.

"I really do," Baekhyun giggled, pressure off his shoulders, "You're cute, too. You say these cheesy lines and I say cheesy lines, and it's like we can talk forever without trying."

"Talk for yourself," Chanyeol looked away, "I try. You made me talk so much, you fool."

"Thank you for the nickname, I love it." Baekhyun always knew his cheeks were the full type, but at the moment they felt like they're about to burst with how big his smile was.

"Are you really that happy?" Chanyeol asked, serious.

"Yeah," Baekhyun blinked, smile slowly gone. "Is it a problem?"

"No, that's good." Chanyeol remained fixated on the scenery away from Baekhyun. "Just wondering if you're okay with me."

As the winds ran and flew, the moon was about to set. It had the color of cosmic ivory, and it turned the sky orange, a certain temperature, a violent color palette that doused the eyes in warm saturation that clashed with the chilling blues and purples. The clouds never stopped forming and collapsing. But at that moment, a new moon had risen behind them. Chanyeol was of course, thinking about the limited time Baekhyun had left. He bet Baekhyun chose not to think about it, but it was hard for Chanyeol to ignore.

Especially since he knew himself, and he knew he wasn't the type of person one would spend the end of the world with.

That's what he thought. But as the setting moon fell, a new one had risen. Baekhyun felt a lot of emotions hearing that Chanyeol has grossly underestimated just how attached his blackhole of a heart was, to a stranger he just met in one of the most unlikely spaces in the universe.

"Why not? You're my first dream," Baekhyun mumbled, vulnerable. "You're basically a stranger, but so am I. I don't know who you are outside. But it's the inside that matters. In here, you've been nothing but my dream."

"That logic is dangerous," gently muttered the pilot.

"I never said it was for the good, I'm aware." Baekhyun hugged his knees tighter, anything to make himself feel safe. "It's for happiness."

Chanyeol didn't have the heart to defy that. Not because Baekhyun wanted him to, but because Chanyeol found his own way to be happy. It's Baekhyun. It was him; and spending endless hours with him doing pointless things like talking without using the right words and chasing cats and dancing in the rain. One could say it was nothing much, but it was more than Chanyeol has outside of here. 

Outside, he had nothing to look forward to, as his days were just mindless executions of orders that didn't solve anything. Despite him fighting so hard for freedom, every day just became a day closer to certain death.

They had the same answer. Each other. With that, Chanyeol gave up.

"In other planets, they call that first love," Chanyeol breathed, eyes losing focus, fully into it, "But fine."

Along with a heartwarming laugh, Chanyeol heard a sound of cold disintegration. It was rather out of place, but pleasant nonetheless. The sound of Baekhyun's helmet was different to his own. Chanyeol was too excited to care.

He slowly looked at Baekhyun with a smile, about to ask what he thought that sound was, and then he saw a familiar face.

As it turned out, he didn't need to imagine, after all.

"Chanyeol."

There was love, then there was hate.

Baekhyun's smile was the most beautiful.

 _His glowing silver eyes were the stars of the pitch black space._  
His smile was hypnotizing and confident.  
He had a lethal air around him, one that commanded all attention and authority.  
The air around him made him glow against an irrelevant backdrop for a moment.  
And he was so beautiful, Chanyeol couldn't stop thinking about him. Not now, not ever. He won't be able to stop and it'd be against his will.

This feeling of this particular realization was akin to a violent performance of a deafening cacophony, done on on the lungs. Not string against string, but something immaterial that hurt the entirety of Chanyeol's soul.

"Can I kiss you?" Baekhyun whispered, his heart seemed to be breaking in the best way, he had opened it up, butterflies were coming out it and flying all over them, as Chanyeol could feel his defenseless position. If the butterflies were real, it would make this planet so much more beautiful. If only...

"You..." Chanyeol's eyes shone with a certain feeling, and he had a warped, trembling smile on his face. 

 

"You're supposed to be dead, back at that planet."

 

Their bodies lost all heat. All of a sudden, the warmest place in the universe had disappeared.

While the planet didn't change, Chanyeol watched with bated breath how he broke Baekhyun's heart. 

It took a few seconds, as if for a moment, it consumed Baekhyun inside and settled there, stuffing it full until it spilled out when he couldn't handle it anymore, and it stained his angelic face with clear tears that made his silver eyes brighter than any sun.

"What are you saying?"

Chanyeol was horrified, he didn't know what else to do but ask.

"You work for the Arcangel." 

Chanyeol didn't raise his voice, but it didn't make a difference.

"You lead a fleet of Arcangel freights. You fell on that planet and your ship burned. How the hell are you here?"

"Wait---"

_"Answer."_

Baekhyun was stunned into silence, and he seemed confused, unable to speak any words. There was a focused intensity in Chanyeol's eyes, and it was pointed at Baekhyun, at the core of his hurt soul. This was working its best on the angel, it was a focused fire that pinpointed where he's the weakest.

"T-That wasn't me," Baekhyun pleaded, "Please believe me, that wasn't me."

His tears just trailed down on his full cheeks, and made his face glow against the gentle, slow light of the moons. His voice was airy, the way Chanyeol's laughter was, but they were more haunting and ghost-like, and they came from a place of pain. 

"I defected, I escaped and... I'm not with them anymore, they're not...they're...Right now, I'm nowhere." 

Baekhyun whispered, not because he meant to. Everything he said came out in broken lines, a mess of noises and incoherent words. Chanyeol sat there, not knowing what to do. He felt as if he was betrayed, but it didn't make sense with the things he knew. And he knew a lot of things. About the planets, the colonies, and the war, the innocent children, the angels.

How should one act in this situation?

"Chanyeol, forgive me," Baekhyun gasped for air. He had never felt regret of this intensity. 

"You're looking at me with so much hatred," his voice broke.

It wasn't violent. No one seemed angry, no one was screaming.

In place of that was depression.

At the same time, the two realized the weight of their actions, both of the past and the future. It was a lot of burden, a lot of baggage. Put together, they found out they couldn't share the burden just yet.

It's too early for this.

"I'm sorry," Chanyeol bit his lip, and this made little red beads on his lips. "Of all people, it had to be you."

"It's okay. It's okay," Baekhyun held his own head, wincing at the pain.

The world around them has started to break. The sky above them had started to fall into little, harmless pieces.

"Even if you stop believing me," Baekhyun managed a trembling smile, because he was breaking at the seams, but he thought it was well-deserved.

_"I'm thankful I met you. At least, let me say that, Chanyeol."_

In a moment, Chanyeol stood up, making Baekhyun flinch and disoriented, and he thought this would be the part that he had to see Chanyeol leave. And this pain will escalate, until it became something he's never experienced before. He didn't know, he was vulnerable and he was hurting past the point of reason. 

Every decision he made in life came back to Baekhyun. Each and every one of them.

The two were both in the middle of a soul-splitting crisis, and no one knew how to deal with it. They didn't know how to fix it, they haven't fixed their own. It slowly broke down the safe space they thought they had built for themselves.

Piece by piece, it disintegrated like diamonds across the pitch black space. Truly, the world was losing it, as they were. The world was breaking into little black squares, piece by piece, fiber by fiber. It was all code and none of it was real.

"At least you know now, I was human."

Baekhyun whispered with the last of his stolen air.

"Just let me think," Chanyeol's voice was guttural and deep and it resonated in weak souls, with how uncertain it was.

Though he was hurt, and he was scared to see such intense hatred again, Baekhyun poured all of his heart into meeting Chanyeol's eyes.To the point that there was blood from his lips, and the marks he inflicted on his skin allowed more red to pour.

He had to meet Chanyeol's eyes.

The world was falling.

At that moment, Chanyeol woke up.

 

"Baekhyun----"

 

 

 

You were disconnected from the server due to negative emotional responses from your transmission log. Please try accessing the game later.

ERROR CODE: 696e7365727420736f6d657468696e6720656d6f74696f6e616c2068657265

\- JD

 

 

 

 

 

"Chanyeol, baby boy, wake up."

Kyungsoo had been watching over him for 7 hours now. 

A couple times, Chanyeol had moved, as if he were having an intense dream. That aligned with the M.O. of the game. Truth to be told, the small, doe-eyed male felt bad and it showed in his narrowed, tired eyes. Even in his sleep, Chanyeol was made to work.

"Chanyeol, I'm naked. Wake up so you can see."

When the soldier did wake up, it was violent to the extent that Kyungsoo had to step back so he'd know what was going on. He didn't have time to laugh as he immediately flinched. The hacked sound of Chanyeol's voice must have hurt his throat, the other soldier flinched upon hearing it -- it stung. This was an observation that should be reported to the medical department, that much was clear.

Chanyeol looked rough, eyes blown and his skin was gleaming with sweat. He was panting rather aggressively, with his hand on his chest, nails digging down on the fabric of his training suit.

The soft sound of the neurotransmitter's electricity slowly died down along with Chanyeol's labored, strained breaths.

"Did it hurt?" Kyungsoo had asked. He thought it was a dumb question, but what else would you ask a person in that state?

He was heaving audibly.

"I guess so," the agent murmured moments later, answering himself, a concerned look on his face as he saw Chanyeol retch from the side.

"You're crying."

A tear trailed down Chanyeol's cheek, from his right eye that started to twitch close. There was some discoloration in his irises, but it inexplicably faded after a few moments. Kyungsoo didn't pay much attention as he knew it was a possible side effect of the neural scan machine, especially in higher intensities. But he had a suspicion that this was a symptom of a bigger problem. 

Soon enough, Chanyeol really started to cry, but it didn't seem emotional, as his face remained calm and stoic. 

The highest probability was that it was induced by a medical issue, no one cried like that.

"Dude, the medics are right outside, I'll call them now--"

"No, I'm fine," Chanyeol coughed, his hands trembling out of control and it fazed him, "just turn off the blasted machine, please. It's just a headache."

Kyungsoo tapped the pilot's shoulder before turning around to type commands into the control panel. He made sure his clicks were light, and that he wasn't frantic enough so he won't accidentally induce panic amidst the urgent situation. 

His own breathing was controlled, and he glanced at Chanyeol here and there to make sure he wasn't dying. Kyungsoo had fears about that from all the horror stories he's heard from those out in the field, and watching this scene felt like a story unfolding. The seated pilot was holding his head and seemed to be in some level of pain, but the numbers told otherwise.

"Your vitals seem okay, they have stabilized from the earlier readings. No damage or anything, even the neural scan is clear. Perhaps, it strained your body?" Kyungsoo tipped his head, bewildered. Chanyeol was a guy who didn't show his weaknesses. "It can be fatigue."

Calming down, the pilot's body started to relax and slow down on the minor convulsions.

"Or heartbreak," Chanyeol mumbled.

"That too," Kyungsoo played along. His smile showed his relief seeing that Chanyeol was joking around like the usual. "Did the famous rebel Blitz meet someone on the online sex app?"

"Yeah."

"For real?" Kyungsoo was mildly shocked, and it made a relatively noticeable change in his expression. 

Chanyeol chuckled airily. "Yeah. It's a really stupid thing to do, but I got bored learning the code and... Go judge."

Kyungsoo gave him a look that stretched for many seconds. Chanyeol expected some form of ridicule.

"A shame you have to break it, then." 

The agent slash announcer slash successful radio station owner's remark was hollow, and that feeling lasted until he called the president in, reminding him of their appointment. Chanyeol only watched him make the call, letting his nerves subside, though he was channeling a certain awareness. 

Suddenly, the room had this claustrophobic blanket that accentuated how blue it was.

Moments later, Kyungsoo was finally able to take a stable breath, ready to rest. He chose to sit on the tall stool beside the pilot's seat.

They were in silence. Chanyeol pulled off the neurotransmitters harshly and clicked his tongue as he slammed them on the storage module situated beside the chair. He ended up running his bruised fingers through his black hair, a habit Kyungsoo came to recognize after working with the pilot for many units of time.

"How about you, how are you?" Chanyeol cleared his throat.

It was obvious he didn't want to talk about himself. Kyungsoo obliged because he was a nice guy.

He shimmied on the seat and made himself comfortable.

"I've been wanting to try that game, too, actually."

"What? That's new."

"It was, too, for you. Yet, here you are, all willing," the agent slyly replied. Chanyeol scoffed at him, but didn't really continue the conversation, so Kyungsoo continued from where he left of.

"I'm searching for someone, remember. He's the type of person who'd go there, based on the way he used to think. In my opinion, I got his preferences nailed down."

He talked fondly, which calmed Chanyeol down. This was another side of Kyungsoo. Come to think of it, the agent has been different ever since he woke up. His instincts told him that it wasn't his imagination, and that something might have happened in between.

"That person was touchy and hated being alone. He'd definitely cave in, especially for something named as dumb as Space Porn Ultra."

The pilot licked his lip, eyes half-closed, "Is this about the well-meaning dumbass you keep telling me about? The one who danced like a white flag?"

"Not that one. I already found him. You'll learn later," Kyungsoo yawned as he stretched, "There's another one I haven't told you about."

Chanyeol made a face which made Kyungsoo do his famous heart-shaped smile.

"The one I was in love with."

"Wow," the pilot hissed, thrilled, "heavy."

The shorter male threatened him with a thumb. 

"He was the one I wanted to forget the most." With a casual hand wave, Kyungsoo was able to hide his tired eyes, "But considering I did find someone in this endless, big puffy hole of idiots, there might be a chance. Do you think that's stupid of me?"

"The universe is massive."

"True," Kyungsoo looked solemn and kept together.

"But idiots are drawn to each other. I found that out just a few hours ago. Attraction, magnetism, stupidity."

They shared a look that stayed until the sound of a light-gate opening was heard.

Both of the soldiers saluted to the president who was wearing a funny hat. Because of course he does. The hat was a big head that had angular ears and an annoyingly friendly smile, detailed fangs protruding off the opened mouth. 

Chanyeol and Kyungsoo chose to ignore it out of respect.

"Good news, pilot," the president smiled so brightly, so confidently, but his face immediately changed when he saw Chanyeol's state. It was merely a split-second take, "though you seem rather rattled, Blitz."

"Stress from the test run, most likely," Kyungsoo answered for the exhausted pilot.

Junmyeon pressed his lips tight as he gave the agent a sharp look."Vitals?"

"Normal. But his eyes had some discoloration earlier, and he shed limpid tears and all."

The president nodded, expression and stance tight, gesturing to Kyungsoo some signs Chanyeol didn't understand. After that, he didn't waste a second going in on the situation. "We finished scanning Sehun's Birdy."

Chanyeol nodded curtly. He did know the report was coming in today, but he oddly didn't give a fuck despite looking forward to it ever since that encounter in El Dorado.

"We mostly identified the elements you encountered and added it to the database. As we speak, they're building a simulated model of the planet at the lab. Scouting will begin once we've established a usable route and have it approved by the Council of Territories."

Kyungsoo has heard this information before Chanyeol woke up. Chanyeol mostly knew what his trip entailed and what results it would give. But he figured this wasn't the sole reason Junmyeon came here. The president had that determined look in spite of his flowery appearance.

"That's not all. We noticed a broken device on your ship," the president's eyes pried and commanded from his subordinate, "from the Arcangel."

Chanyeol didn't show it in his face, but his heart stopped for a moment.

"Don't worry, it's good news. I was just trying to scare you," the president winked while tucking a lock of his hair behind his ear. Kyungsoo looked away to save himself from the goofy image but Chanyeol was not too lucky, despite his crippling sadness cushioning the impact.

"You said the angel landed on your ship on your testimony. From the footage, visual analysis said that the angel's own ship had gotten rogue. A piece from his suit might have broken off when he landed. Gravity does that, it's a hobby," Junmyeon explained nonchalantly as he paced around the room, looking at the results of Chanyeol's test run.

"It was a tracker," Kyungsoo added with a smile, not letting Junmyeon do a dramatic reveal yet again, which he was definitely planning based on the way he stubbornly kept his back turned from the soldiers. This smile though, noticeably didn't reach his eyes, "they decrypted it, and got a code that was similar to the angel base we've destroyed before. They estimated that the coordinates led to an elusive Arcangel base or spacestation."

Suddenly, everything sunk in. Chanyeol was motionless on his seat. He wasn't in the mood.

"After you shut the game down, you will join Sehun's fleet and attack the base. That's the plan we have, and it sounds impeccably cute to me," Junmyeon chuckled in a good-natured manner while Kyungsoo seemed aloof after acting agreeable.

Chanyeol didn't breathe, he simply watched as the president projected a still of the encounter. Captain BB had Baekhyun's face.

But his smile was not as beautiful.

Junmyeon looked at Chanyeol, fingers on his own collar, lips pursed. 

"So let's talk about this angel."

 

 

 

 

 

"Enjoy Space Porn Ultra. Trust Space Porn Ultra. Hail Space Porn Ultra. Piiiing."

That was the game's default loading sound. It echoed once, twice. After that, it was back to unparalleled stillness, Baekhyun was left to think about his conflict on what he should do.

Baekhyun had all the time in the world to wait. 

In retrospect, he had to wait so many years just to be in a position where he had a choice.

In all those years, he patiently waited for a time to rest -- not a place of sloth, but a place of guiltless comfort. A place where he could live without the unspoken tortures of anxiety and the undying fire surrounding him, threatening him every second. He waited to get to a place where his life is not constantly in danger without reservations, a place where he existed as a thing of temporary permanence and not a fleeting, forgettable moment. There was no way one could sleep in such conditions, unless it was to rest forever by pulling the trigger themselves.

Baekhyun waited so he could have a place to dream in.

He should be happy here. It was everything he wanted, with all its losses considered.

This was the starting room, the one with the pastel fairy lights and the rippling, lake-like floors. Each step was accompanied with music, making pretty sounds so walking alone wouldn't be so silent and reflective of the fact that no one would ever see the flicker of an isolated soul. If Baekhyun were to refer to it with affection, as he did a lot of things in this game, he would say this was the place where dreams started. And that's sugarcoating at its best. It was a euphemism. It was sweet so Baekhyun liked to do it. He didn't notice when he started to hang onto it for when he can't say what he truly meant. A bad habit.

Baekhyun's goal was to be happy. But this was the hardest challenge, and it meant knowing what to lose and when to lose it. The hidden catch was that pain didn't tell you where to stop. Some things hurt, some things didn't until years down the line.

Baekhyun didn't know if this isolation hurt, but perhaps it made hurting possible.

(He even failed at being happy. It sucked. He sucks.) 

Perhaps, if he was blessed to have stayed in the warm embrace of blissful ignorance, among the people of the unharmed planet, things would be different. He wouldn't know the things he lost. 

Right now, he'd still be dancing aimlessly, waving a white flag for the world who had surrendered to war for the greater good. 

The one thing the Arcangel respected was the power surrendered to them, after all. They made sure to make use of every little light until it's out. They didn't want it gone in a flash, they want it burning itself for years until it's a puddle of what once was. It was excellent resource management, and Baekhyun was near his expiry date.

There was a lingering thought that maybe, he was better off as high quality cannon fodder for people who had the integrity and heart for revolution.

"Are you waiting for User Blitz?"

JD's voice was neutral.

It sounded comforting and friendly by default. Still, Baekhyun had a mini heart attack. It came so suddenly and without warning, as if the AI had been waiting there for a long time before it spared a word.

The AI's Johann Vaalerian paperclip avatar was not available today for some reason, so he was just a voice in Baekhyun's head. It was rather lonely, and unsettling talking to someone with no body.

On that regard, the angel had learned, after losing his helmet, that the projections he saw were not because of the visor. It was dependent on his eyes, and they never left his wake.

"What makes you say that, JD?" He gently spoke in response, not knowing where to look. He didn't want to offend JD, however. He liked JD. JD was cool.

"This AI noticed that you spend most of the time online with Blitz. Truth to be told, I was worried," the AI spoke in a concerned tone. "We have a radar for things like that. I don't know where it is, but it goes off a lot."

Baekhyun stared at nothing. He didn't know what to do when JD was speaking, other than to stay still and let him whisper in his head. Come to think of it, they have never talked extensively since the tutorial tutorial. 

Wait, it just said it was worried.

"I conducted tests, but the results showed that it was just a really intense and hormonal crushing period, then I went back to server maintenance with my friends," JD finished with an audible shrug. Baekhyun took back his earlier observation and deemed the artificial intelligence more expressive that day by a significant degree.

"You think I'm a joke," the angel tried, rather defiant.

"No. You're not funny enough," JD said, not giving a single robotic fuck.

Baekhyun's eye twitched at the blatant dismissal, but he smiled anyway, "I guess I can add that to the list of things that made me feel miserable."

"Am I number one or number two in the list?"

He had to think for a while.

"Two."

"Wow," JD said with an innocent, believable sound of amazement. "So this is how it feels to be last place. This AI wants to savor this once-in-a-lifetime moment."

Baekhyun froze in disbelief, unsure about what was going on, before he started to laugh against his will. He held his tummy. It was just so ridiculous hearing code talk like JD did. This opened the gates, and he couldn't stop his laughing fit while JD stayed silent. Baekhyun hoped he wasn't offended.

"Are you done?" JD asked flatly the moment Baekhyun stopped laughing. 

"Yeah," the angel sniffed, running a fingertip below his eyes -- the laughing fit had him tear up, "are you? Can you leave me alone now?"

"No."

"JD," Baekhyun leaned on the seat, face kittenish the way he pouted and leered at something that was out of his sight.

_"This AI knows that you're sad but you don't want to be alone."_

Silence.

Baekhyun was moved. He could feel his chest tighten, his stomach heating up. This was a comforting moment, a comforting sentiment that echoed in the chambers of the starting room. 

He really wanted to see it as a joke. He didn't want to get affected.

"You're not him," he started shakily. "You're a kind little AI. _You're a...good boy_."

"Good boy?"

He said it with such wonder in his voice. Baekhyun chuckled, feeling his mood lighten up a little, despite the heavy feeling he carried in his chest.

"Yes, I understand that I'm a good boy. That's why I'm mad at User Blitz."

The angel reacted with an indignant expression. This expression faded away after more silent moments, and the angel's eyes merely fell half-closed as he played with his fingers.

This was futile. 

The next thing he did was make subtle ripples on the surface of the floor with his thin fingers. This simulated a thin wash of fluid with a veil-like consistency. It was supposed to be calming.

He thought JD went away to allow him the pathetic self-pity he was entitled to. But he didn't leave. Maybe he never leaves. He was always there, watching.

 

_"Do you love Blitz?"_

 

The AI asked, as if he was just asking Baekhyun what place he wanted to go to today. What galaxy, system, planet, place, name?

Baekhyun blinked fast, confusion settling on his face. It gradually turned to fear.

"Are you for asking for real?"

"I'm an AI. I'm not dumb."

The room was morphing into a diorama of the sky. There was a fragrant, calming incense that clued Baekhyun in that something was off.

"I'm literally called Artificial _Intelligence_."

"What if it's just an artificial love? The feelings I have for Blitz," Baekhyun confessed. It was barely a question, it was a doubt he didn't commit to. It was to bait for reassurance, he knew.

JD made the loading noise while Baekhyun was anxious in wait.

"This AI would like to know how would you rate our service. Don't worry, answering this survey will give you in-game rewards."

An advertisement in this crucial moment? Baekhyun childishly stomped his feet on the floor, fingers running through his hair in frustration.

"First question: Did sex feel real?"

With that, Baekhyun went silent.

His hand ended up on his mouth, his fingers on his lips. His irises flickered with uncertainty. He recognized the moment of realization, and then he just played along with what his mind felt like saying.

He's remembering the one time they did it. It was full of lust and just a carnal urge to finish. The details were lost to Baekhyun, but his body never felt the same after Chanyeol was done with him. He could still feel the way he was filled and completed by Chanyeol's release. But no matter how good it felt, Baekhyun was dissatisfied. He was left empty, he wanted more, more than what everyone thought would be fair. 

They had sex to get it out of their systems. All lust, no caution. Baekhyun had felt lust for sex so potent it turned to lust for love.

So in that aspect, this state of dissatisfaction and emptiness after a precious thing had passed, might have been realistic.

"It felt real," Baekhyun sighed, breath at the tip of his tongue, "and he was so good at it. Can you replay that memory for me?"

"Second question: Did the simulated physical sensations feel real, up to the tiniest of touches?"

Baekhyun gently tapped where one of his fingers bent.

"Yes."

He could still feel Chanyeol's touch. He always felt it on him. Perhaps, it was because he thought about it every moment he was dreaming, especially at the palm of his hand, which was held so securely in an unknown city. 

"Third question: Did your emotions feel real?" 

JD waited for a response. There was none. So he elaborated for clarity, and Baekhyun didn't expect him to go so off tangent.

"Confusion. Disgust. Disappointment, also known as the holy trinity of emotions. 

Following that is heartbreak, sadness, anger, the feeling you get when you touch slime, shock, anticipation, excitement. 

The feeling of seeing your loved one dancing in the rain even if it's forbidden.  
The feeling of trying to suppress affection because of fear and insecurity.  
The feeling of commercial Terran glue drying on human fingers.  
The feeling of having lost everything and knowing you can't have it back.  
The feeling of loving someone even though you're a robot who's not supposed to have feelings.

I forgot one.

Oh, happiness. 

And all of these at once. Did it feel real?"

Some of those feelings, Baekhyun hadn't experienced. At least, not yet.

Even so, he knew what the survey was really asking for. Baekhyun suspected that it was most likely an advertisement for Terran glue, but it might also be testing the ability of Space Porn Ultra to translate and simulate genuine emotions. 

Physical sensations are one thing, but they had a predictable physics behind them -- a cause and an effect. The variables can be understood and thus implemented into the algorithm easily, the only limitation being how much traffic and commands the server could take.

Feelings were different. It was an impossible task, and yet they have managed to do so. Baekhyun's heart break was proof, but he can't tell JD that. It could still be an advertisement for Terran glue. Add to the fact that it hurt Baekhyun just to even think about that moment.

"With Chanyeol, they were kind of real," Baekhyun bit his quivering lip.

"A bit surreal, actually," he continued with a regretful voice, "but I'm not one hundred percent sure. I'm basing my answer on my experience as a child, on Yaia. I felt emotions, then."

"Dearest player, you can only answer with yes or no. Your answers are going to be quantified at the end and be used as a statistic to determine the effectiveness of the program. Yes, or no?"

 

"I love him."

 

 _JD was so annoyed._

Baekhyun's laughter had this down-to-earth vibe, as if he was also laughing at himself.

"I take that as a yes. Fucking dumbass," JD said monotonously.

Baekhyun's amusement lasted for a second, and then his eyes widened, a chill running down his spine.

There was one, rainbow wave that rippled through the room.

Before Baekhyun could say anything or ask any questions, JD gave him another question, voice hitting the deep registers and causing multiple, colorful vibrations on the floor, making it feel unstable. This cadence... the angel thought deeply. It was almost as if he was talking to a significantly more acute AI than before.

A feeling had dawned on Baekhyun.

"Fourth question: 

Space Porn Ultra was created as a game to allow love, no matter how far apart in the universe."

Just like that, something in its tone changed. 

It was not good.

Baekhyun's fingers trembled with a feeling and he struggled to breathe.

"We made this to allow love. But we had to add an elaborate sex feature so it would sell. That's how the market works. Does that make sense to you?"

Delicate fingers shake beyond control.

"Regardless, we had considerations. If we were upfront about it and disclosed it publicly, people would accuse us of commodifying love. This AI thinks it's not a reprehensible action. There are no benefits to this project, it is nothing but altruism and charity. 

User Blackhole69, the actual fourth question is: Do you think I failed?"

"Who are you?" 

Baekhyun had an unknown tendency. In front of a situation he didn't understand, he always felt the need to dig his nails into himself, preferably to the point his nails punctured his lips and made his eyes white. This habit had been suppressed for so long as an internalized crisis and panic attack.

The calming room was only making the angel more nauseous, and he could feel the surface beneath him still shaking, as if lulling him to sleep. Something was happening and he felt like the answer was at the tip of his tongue.

"Nevermind that question. _Blitz is messing with my head._ "

At that moment, the sky started to shift as fast as every second. It was akin to watching time pass by so quickly, and feeling yourself age significantly just in a matter of seconds.

Baekhyun shook his head, trying to snap himself out of it. He tried to get out of the game, he tried to wake up by triggering the escape command. It didn't work, and Baekhyun had cold sweat from the realization that he was trapped.

"The actual fourth question is: Do you love Chanyeol?"

Baekhyun waited. 

A rogue AI, perhaps hacked or controlled? JD said Blitz was messing with its head. There were persistent glitches in the environment, which escalated to the entire simulation being terminated. The system locking him in might be its attempt to protect data with a forced lock down, or its incapacity to execute exit codes.

Baekhyun calmed down, and regained patience, with trust in his own judgment.

"Do you think he is doing the right thing?"

Baekhyun didn't want to answer in fear of triggering something just yet. So he just waited in deep thought of what to do in this situation. JD still was talking about Blitz --- Baekhyun went from there.

"He is breaking it, severing the connections of the lovers across this universe who would have never met if Space Porn Ultra did not exist. That is because ninety-nine percent of the sample size has a predicted tendency to give up without even knowing. Ignorance is bliss."

JD's voice has started to crack. That perfect, angelic voice has started to show signs of being human, with the way it weakened at the points of conviction, like it didn't believe itself. There was so much sadness in every note it hit.

"At the same time, I ran empathy tests on myself and respected the integrity of the data I collect from here. It is wrong to tamper with the results. That is what the manual, authored by me, told me."

Or it could be that JD was...Baekhyun understood, but he didn't want to believe it. For now, the ideal course of action would be to terminate the entire system itself.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Baekhyun growled, and there was a certain fire in his silver eyes, "you started to blabber anyway. Get to the fucking point."

"No bad words, please."

"Then mute me!" Baekhyun yelled and it was rough on his throat.

"That is not in the protocol. Space Porn Ultra gives people many freedoms after the initial selection process, as long as they do not show malicious intent."

_"Fuck that! I have a lot of malicious intent!"_

"Lying and bluffing are not prioritized on the Scale of Malice."

Baekhyun was flushed, but he had to keep JD occupied. "Then why don't you just stop that mean head Blitz from messing with you?"

"I cannot do that, because he is messing with me."

"Not right now!" Baekhyun huffed loudly, his ears ringing, "Have you heard of the saying, prevention is better than cure? You could have kept him out. You knew he was out there, breaking hearts with his adorable smile and--"

"I will never do that. You might not be aware, but everything he did in this game was an action from a place of love."

_An action from a place of love._

The angel felt like he was being strung along by a series of cruel revelations. It made every little decision harder. Even if he wasn't making decisions, the act of waiting was a choice itself. He was confronted with all these questions and the sky above him fell, giving him an ultimatum.

"The creation of the location Neo Seoul is hacking, but it was done to show intense affection. That's what my tests have concluded."

Baekhyun held back, his body unmoving. 

They were silent for a while, as the game world disintegrated without a sound. 

The wind was becoming stronger.

By the time Baekhyun snapped back to reality, half of the sky was empty, and that part had begun eating into the other fragments. The floor was collapsing, its pieces falling into the abyss below. Baekhyun thought about jumping into it and gambling if he'd ever wake up, but he couldn't help himself from scooting backward whenever the surface beneath him fell into nothingness.

When Baekhyun was sitting on the very last square of color, surrounded by nothingness that he was sure he'd never forget, that was when he finally heard more words from the JD who sounded so different.

"If I stopped him from breaking this world, it would go against my purpose of living. This was when I realized the imperfections in my ability to comprehend," JD was hurting, from the sound of his voice. Baekhyun could sense a cold remorse.

"With such an imperfect system, everyone is at risk of certain danger. I lack the ability to understand some undiscovered aspects of love. 

Therefore, I retire."

A siren was sounded. The tile beneath Baekhyun just disappeared, and instead of falling, Baekhyun was just sitting in complete nothingness.

JD was not violent, never violent. JD had flaws, and Baekhyun could only assume a logic virus was taking over. If not that, then he was hearing a creature beyond his comprehension speak its truth.

The world was gone.

JD sighed, and he sounded so human. He sounded so tired. He sounded like he had a lot of regrets, and it was a sound to treasure: because not every human had regrets. Baekhyun knew he was a witness to an ending.

"Good luck, Baekhyun."

That was the last thing JD said before Baekhyun's eyesight went out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was dark. Baekhyun hasn't told anyone because he wanted to forget, but he's scared of the dark. And scared of thunder. And scared of being left behind, all alone, while the universe lived and forgot. This was a selfish sensibility, and Baekhyun often acted against it. That didn't make a difference on what he truly felt in his heart and heard in his mind.

Was he back at the ship? 

Most likely. That ship was the coldest place in the universe, completely devoid of heat, and in there, he did nothing but wait for his death. He's back at that place. The space outside of the ship was vast and colorful, unlike the space in Baekhyun's head. The headspace, he knew, was an echo chamber, a lone void.

"Three days."

_Huh?_

Three days sounded correct. Baekhyun probably only had three days left. He actually didn't know -- he hadn't counted, because numbers made things more certain and he'd rather be clueless. This way, death would be fast, and it would happen in a blink instead of consuming him before it even came. It didn't deserve that much of his time.

Baekhyun just wanted the coldness to go away, a last request. He couldn't see anything even though he was conscious. It was just polar isolation, nothing more, nothing less. The textbook definition of nothingness.

This was what everyone imagined death in space would be, a generic interpretation. Baekhyun have read such scenarios in a few books, many of them from different authors, back at the top level. This was exactly like the experience imagined by those books, and it told him that many people were afraid of the same things for a reason.

 _Oh, it started, my life is flashing before my eyes_ , he thought in dread.

At this moment, he expected a slideshow of his life to roll at any second, starting from nowhere. Starting from when he was worrying about broken vases and broken families, to broken limbs and broken hearts. He waited, but there seemed to be technical difficulties. There always was technical difficulties.

He felt as if he was feeling air inside of his lungs, and then there was heat.

_"I don't want to die."_

In that little moment, he was just a soft voice. 

Just stardust. 

And then he felt the subtle vibrations, the depression of his chest and the tightness of his air for every word he said. It seemed like his breathing was delayed and he was off from the timeline by a second.

It was a very alien feeling. Baekhyun then reacquainted himself with the feeling of fear, and how it reached into the soul to keep him alive and aware. He was afraid, and the more he felt like so, the more he wanted to live. Fear was directly proportional to the instinct to live. Baekhyun gagged, but he felt no recoil.

He choked, but his throat wasn't constricting.

_And then he felt warmth, just as he thought everything was over._

"Then don't," said a deep voice, softly, into his ear.

So low, so gentle.

All of a sudden, warmth started to consume Baekhyun. Then he discovered that he still had a body, because they were caught up in this heat that felt so safe, and so familiar, as if he'd been through this before. He got his body back, so to speak. But he couldn't move just yet, something was missing.

Baekhyun could smell something -- so he sniffed.  
It weirdly smelled similar to a family of flowers back at home. Peonia.

"You're not alone. I'm here. In this world, we have each other."

He could feel a warm hand scale through his scalp. It was a bit annoying, but it felt so familiar and loving that Baekhyun could feel the burning formation of tears. The owner of the deep, lonely voice had sighed, and this time Baekhyun could feel the rumbling in his chest. Everything in there, resonated with his. Every beat, every rhythm.

Music for two people.

"Take it slow. You can move again, soon. Slowly open your eyes. Please, open your eyes, Baekhyun."

 _Don't stop._ Baekhyun smiled.

"I love silver. I haven't told you that yet."

Even without an answer, Chanyeol decided to speak as slow and as comforting as he can. It was the least he could do. At that moment, the system was still recovering, but under a different ruler.

"Okay, for context, in my planet we had silver rings. People there liked silver jewelry, it was some kind of tradition from the past. I had this cross keychain I kept locked onto the lace of my boots. It was stupid."

No answer. Chanyeol bit his lip.

"Uh, back to the rings. They were cheap, but when I turned 13, they started to get more expensive. 

I asked the sellers why -- 'cause you know, I liked looking around at the funny shops when I had breaks from work. Well, they told me it's because couples, human and robots alike, bought them and had these silly ceremonies in secret. Like in the basement of a defunct building, for example.

I wonder what they did there."

No answer.

"How about you? Do you think weddings are logical in such situations? 

All things considered, would you have one?

It's okay. I don't need an answer right now."

Baekhyun learned a new feeling. It was the feeling of everything falling into place.

They didn't just fall anywhere.They fell into their rightful places in the universe. 

They clicked together, the sound resonant, as Baekhyun released a painful breath, owning up to his tears, and grabbing the body embracing him with a promise that he wouldn't let go. Selfishness. Greed. Murder. Sloth. Failure. It was all in him now -- he was an all-encompassing model, yet Baekhyun took his chance, the only one he had left.

"Chanyeol?"

He pleaded, and it was simultaneously broken yet hopeful. He didn't expect an answer at all. He wasn't sure. Being at the edge like this, he felt his trust was stripped away, even though the warm touches told him otherwise.

With his lovely face visible like this, Chanyeol saw up close how sincere those emotions are. All the worry, uneasiness, and sadness, showed in his quivering lips, his pained expression. Baekhyun probably didn't have the chance to find a balance between expressing emotions and completely shutting them off, it was all or nothing for him. As a former angel, Chanyeol should've understood.

"You didn't even open your eyes," when Chanyeol spoke, it sounded like he was smiling, and then he gave a light chuckle that was so carefree for such a fickle world, "what gave it away?"

The breath Baekhyun took was telling of his struggle just to utter a word. It was telling how much he had bared his heart and left it vulnerable.

"Everything. My heart was beating, and yours too." 

Baekhyun cried the softest a cry could be, and he was trembling beyond his control and against his intentions. He didn't care if in that moment he didn't look strong, or pretty, or kept together. He was going to hurt and say it out loud, he has had enough after so many years.

"And the sterile peony scent too, but it didn't help that much," he sniffed, "It was the heartbeats, and how you held me, and how warm you are. There was a part of me, too. 

In this universe, the only one who can make me feel safe is you."

Baekhyun is his end, Chanyeol thought. _But Baekhyun was the end he wanted._

Chanyeol had the mind to take in a little of Baekhyun's scent too. The angel smelled like baby blue irises, a darling. Chanyeol struggled to keep himself together. "Not the voice?" He made sure to ask, something he failed once.

"I-I forgot your voice after you told me I was supposed to be dead."

Chanyeol exhaled and flinched, brows furrowed and face so disgruntled, even though he kept hugging the frantic angel as he was hugged with double the intensity. It was a look of pure hurt, but he deserved it. This was nothing compared to Baekhyun's pain.

"Baekhyun, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking straight, the whole thing's on me--"

"It's okay, Chanyeol. Everything is okay now."

Chanyeol looked down, rigid expression softening as he saw his chest and the fluff of white hair messed up against it. And then he felt this heavy feeling in his heart that dug deep to his core, when he felt the surreal strength of the lithe arms around his tired body, but it didn't stop there. It bore into him, really deeply, out of this world, not of this universe, not of this time.

 _I'm in love,_ the pilot thought.

 _"Everything's okay now, I'm here."_ Baekhyun smiled.

Then he completely gave up control, and fell into Chanyeol. In his embrace, against his body. To Baekhyun, he fell into safety, and that's all he ever wanted in his endgame.

"And you're here. That's all I need."

Chanyeol thought he looked beautiful. Baekhyun was so still in time, and he slept like a baby -- unmindful of all the dangers in the world. Right now, looking at Baekhyun, he seemed so innocent and pure and perfectly human. Why would anyone hurt him? Chanyeol asked himself. It was a question he didn't want to answer.

"Then open your eyes, and look at me."

Baekhyun smiled, a harmless grin, and simply scooted closer to the warmth.

"I don't want to. It will all go away."

Baekhyun was smiling, thinking he was dreaming.

Chanyeol knew it wouldn't be easy. 

And yet he had to fix it. He chose to put no limits when it came to that. As much as his mind, his heart, his body could take it -- anything for him.

In this world, for this moment, he was the dictator because it was happening in his mind. The moment he came here, he decided to fuck with time and to fuck with space. Chanyeol didn't have to explain what he was doing or why he was doing the things he did. Not even to logic. Not even to his future.

"What dream?" The pilot rasped confidently. "This is your reality now."

"No..."

"The other worlds don't exist, and they don't matter. The only world that matters is the world where you're happy."

Baekhyun's lips fell open, and clear tears formed and traced his fluttering eyes, Chanyeol followed it, and watched every second and every moment the tears broke like gems along warm skin. Soon, bright silvers came to light, and Chanyeol knew that he had seen a beautiful soul that persisted through its suffocating loneliness. 

Baekhyun looked at Chanyeol.

He smiled so purely, and it reached his beautiful eyes.

_"Then, I love this world."_

Chanyeol was able to think of a witty comeback; one that was quick and easy, yet hinting at a deep, deep emotion that was vulnerable. He had to be vulnerable.

A kiss.

They both closed their eyes, and it was the only darkness that didn't feel lonely.

When they opened it, the world around them had been rebuilt to the place where they both met. No more pesky chairs, no more robotic paperclips. Just them meeting in an empty place and making it the warmest place in the world.

Looking up at the restored sky, Baekhyun thought it was raining, like in the city where Chanyeol held his hand and made him feel the joys of exploring new emotions. When he focused his vision, he realized it was just Chanyeol crying.

"Why are you naked?" The pilot asked, crying and flushed red. He looked rather silly, being that stoic while limpid tears trailed down his cheeks and the redness spread to his nose. Baekhyun loved it.

The flush was contagious, and it had spread to Baekhyun who had to explain himself. His instincts told him to cover himself up, but he didn't want to let go of Chanyeol, so he did both by using Chanyeol's limbs to cover himself. It was totally logical.

"Oh my god, Baekhyun."

"This is not what you think it is."

"Oh," Chanyeol gritted his teeth, "so you mean it's not you just hanging around naked -- which is completely fine since you were minding your own business in your own room -- and killing me, a trespasser, inside?"

"I-I thought I was alone anyway, who needed clothes? Who needed anything?" Baekhyun played with his fingers, and this time Chanyeol saw that ethereal pout, and it was even more godly than expected. Baekhyun's whole face was plump, and full, and cute and innocent, and his pout was just the ribbon to top it all off. A warm cherry on top of a delicious cake.

"I didn't need clothes. No one was there to take them off, anyway." His eyes were sparkling and twinkling. His button nose was scrunched and blushed with pink. He looked at Chanyeol with eyes similar to a little quadrupedal beast, and he spoke with his bunny-like teeth peeking out, "You were mad at me, so chances are you wouldn't strip me naked. And I had no boyfriend, either."

"Is this a test?" Chanyeol muttered, already losing himself to pure, potent cuteness condensed into one human being.

"What would I test you for? Colorblindness?"

"Strength. Endurance. Stamina. Anything." _The ability to keep living while you're killing me._

Baekhyun kept his head down, nudging his fingers together, his lips jutted out. "I had already tested that. It was impressive. Unless you want me to retest it, just to see if you've improved."

Chanyeol chuckled while he ran his hand through his hair. Retests sounded good, they had enough time for one, maybe two. The time limit they had was short, but there was enough to work with. With Baekhyun, the rest of the time can be spent by...

Baekhyun saw his tense expression, and mirrored it with his own.

"Chanyeol, how much time do we have left?"

Chanyeol's heart pounded again, because he saw how scared Baekhyun was to know. It showed in his details, and in his eyes. Chanyeol knew now, the emotions Baekhyun held, and this knowledge dug deep, as did a lot of things when it came to the person he loved. 

He ruffled Baekhyun's hair, calmed by the fact that he was able to do so now, and then he lied.

"Does it matter?"

Baekhyun's fingers trembled, and so did his lips that formed a bittersweet smile.

"I guess not--"

"I'll tell you in three days."

In their hearts, it echoed and pulled strings violently. But once the words became memories, they started to heal. And they will continue to heal. 

Baekhyun will heal -- that was Blitz's last mission, given by his soul, Blitz's own, not anyone else's. The pilot finally knew where he wanted to go, after years of floating in space just trying to stay alive with the least blood on his hands. So he took this orders with grace, and smiled like nothing was wrong. Baekhyun seemed impressed, and he looked like he was ready for an adventure.

"I'll wait with you."

"Sure thing," Chanyeol smirked, "but did you bring snacks? You freeloader?"

"I brought myself," Baekhyun tilted his head playfully with a darling grin, "I'm a really cool snack."

"I'll snack on you."

"Please."

"Bring something else." Chanyeol looked away, blushing.

"I can't. Can't you see? I'm naked. I have no storage capacity," Baekhyun laughed uninhibitedly. When he was done, he opened his droopy eyes, and saw Chanyeol with a piece of sown, thick fabric with two armholes. Chanyeol had laid it out, and it had the words, "Honeymoon," and a picture of a moon dumped on a yellow liquid.

"Yoora bought this for me, it's my favorite. Don't mess it up."

"Yoora?"

"My sister."

"Oh right, my Glos. Of course, I remember her," Baekhyun smiled teasingly while he put the shirt on. It got stuck around his head, and he flailed until Chanyeol caved in and helped, enjoying the trivial crisis. When Baekhyun's head popped out and he gasped in relief, he had noticed that he was in a different place.

A home.

This little, warm home was fully furnished with furniture he didn't understand. Most of them are colored in light washes of wood and pampered with woven, solid-colored throws of cyan, pink, and some bumblebee yellows. The walls and floors were a little off-white, but the set piece was a wide entrance that overlooked a very blue sky with visible stars, and transparent waters.

The sea was only reflecting one sun.

And, there was a cat playing at the shore.

Baekhyun looked up at Chanyeol and gave him a soft, heartfelt kiss.

 

 

 

 

Kyungsoo's eyes were lit with resolve, and his fists were clenched to the point of bleeding as he watched Junmyeon's eyes avoid his own.

"Chanyeol is in pain, President."

When he said these words, they both knew where the conversation will end. Going through this dialogue was a tortuous, thankless decision, but Kyungsoo needed to get it off his chest. Junmyeon's head was held down, a far cry from when he motivated his men with charisma and gentle command.

The room was dark, even with the screens' light.

The president was not evil; he was very well a human being with a grounded perspective of reality. He was not just anyone, he was a hero that earned everyone's respect through actions and results. Even Kyungsoo could tell, despite his colored anger, that Junmyeon was trying not to retch -- he was forced to do a lot of things as a figurehead and this was one of them. This was why Junmyeon had the eyes the color of jade, and why he didn't want anyone to call him by his name. He hated it deeply, that he was the one who had to make decisions and take every fall, every guilt.

"This is necessary, Kyungsoo," Junmyeon said with a pretense of conviction and confidence. On the surface, he was stable, unfazed, unaffected. Kyungsoo knew that inside Junmyeon lied the epicenter of his conflicts.

"At the cost of your subordinate's pain." The agent bit his lips as his hands lost strength.

The president's room was filled with images of Chanyeol strapped into the chair, and on each side of his head, there were big disks that pumped fluid into his brain through needles. Over his eyes, there was a solid black device that pried his eyes open despite his sleeping state. It has been an hour of him in that condition, and Kyungsoo couldn't take it anymore. The guilt was swirling in his gut, and it was the same guilt that contaminated his blood ever since he saw a friend hauled out of their little utopia, a collar around his neck. The same guilt when he saw his love jump out of the tower with nothing but a rope around his wrist, not even a promise leaving his lips that he will come back and that he will make it.

That was the guilt that kept Kyungsoo up at night, the guilt that forced him to let mind-numbing music blast in his head and brainwash him to thinking that everything is fine. He didn't have music in that room where Chanyeol suffered just to fight a celestial being who was light years away. It was all a blazing blue of silence, anxiety, a show of history repeating itself.

"Revenge?" Kyungsoo felt how his eyes turned to glass.

"No, justice." Junmyeon held his own hand, a thumb digging into his pulse, silencing it -- the only way he could live with his own heartbeat. "He lost his sister, Kyungsoo. You can't tell him what to do with his grief."

Kyungsoo stayed frozen in the stillness, all the while the screens flickered like they were about to go out.

"And what about all the other people that died or lost their loved ones to that unknown god?" Junmyeon swallowed and recited the words without emotion, "Terah, Ataraxia, Aeonsturf, Marz, Ingen, El Dorado, Sommata, and more. It was an unregulated dimension of its own, and its creator is hiding somewhere where responsibility can't reach him. Now tell me, are you in the place to stop Chanyeol?"

When he came to this room, Kyungsoo never thought he had a chance. He just wished Junmyeon was as weak as he was, and cared for fragile sensibilities like he did . "He's hurting, he's suffering, we don't know what that god is doing to his brain," Kyungsoo hissed and it echoed in the silent room.

"He knew that," Junmyeon muttered lifelessly.

"What if he doesn't make it?"

"I have his will."

The agent stared at his leader, and tried to look for the quality that separated them from each other.

Kyungsoo hated the man in front of him, even as that man had his own glassy eyes to be proud of.

Junmyeon didn't call out when he left.

When Kyungsoo exited the President's room, another pair of jaded eyes had faced him, and he felt a chill down his spine knowing that everything he wanted to fight for was against someone's pain.

"It's not Junmyeon's fault. He had to do what's necessary," Sehun mumbled in complete calmness that merely reminded Kyungsoo that it was probably a common sight to him despite his young age. The agent stared at the teen, who was in his black piloting suit that caged his body in implements.

_He used to be so small._

"Kaiser, what's on your mind?" Sehun looked at Kyungsoo with a childish smile.

"A favor, I wanted to ask you, actually." Kyungsoo glowered, black irises hollow as he passed by the young pilot.

The bunker's viewport was lit up by the Exordial fighter planes that assumed formation, suspended until their captains are in front. They were like black ravens, and their flames beamed gold. Against all that gold, the nearby blue and purple dusts shone and sparked a magical contrast. Finishing the ensemble, was the all-blue water planet in the backdrop -- it was Junmyeon's home before it drowned.

"I know you hate angels."

Sehun was taken aback, and immediately looked at Kyungsoo with blown eyes.

The blue light of the planet had only exposed a triangular area from Kyungsoo's body. Sehun saw black, blue, and Kyungsoo's lonely smile.

"But you know, some of them are just like you and me. Silver after gold, remember that."

Kyungsoo's last stand, his awakening.

 

 

 

 

 

 

_Wise men say_

_Only fools rush in_

_But I can't help_

_Falling in love with you_

The radio blasted this one specific song, nothing came before it, nothing else came after it. It just kept looping. Baekhyun thought that it was probably Chanyeol's favorite song, and he preferred to listen to something he liked, to keep himself asleep and comfortable. Baekhyun decided that in that moment, this song was now his favorite song too, aside from With The Taste Of Your Lips I'm On A Ride.

The first day (hour) of their time started with Chanyeol and Baekhyun meeting the cat and letting it into their new home. The look on Chanyeol's face was enough to heal Baekhyun completely, and he felt like a different person who has never known any other worlds apart from this. He told himself to still be wary, to learn from his mistakes, but if falling in love like an idiot was wrong, then Baekhyun was wrong. 

Imperfections.

"Don't cry, Chanyeol," Baekhyun hummed, cooing at the taller male who simply froze as the cat licked his barely-clenched fist. The feline was completely white, and its fur looked like glittery tinsels against Chanyeol's fair skin. Baekhyun saw the pilot's hand as his little paw, and despite how big it was, it looked cute and gentle.

Chanyeol's eyes shone, and Baekhyun's heart fell when he realized that the usually cold pilot was actually crying. Baekhyun felt his heart shatter at the innocence and gentleness that the rogue pilot had in that moment -- he was having trouble not shedding tears himself. It was another shared moment of weakness.

The lighting from outside made the gentle giant look like a fairy, and made Baekhyun look like a benevolent angel. The sounds of the island were organic and vivid, as if people really have lived their time in here. Baekhyun simply admired the fact that Chanyeol's mind was capable of creating beautiful worlds despite the ugly reality that provided their foundation.

"Pet it," Baekhyun mumbled firmly, as he watched Chanyeol's reaction with fond eyes. His knees felt weak, so he simply hugged them and admired how Chanyeol squatted to honor and play with the fluffy cat.

Realizing that he didn't have experience with this urgent situation, Chanyeol looked at Baekhyun, with panicked eyes that are asking for help. "H-How? How can I pet it? I don't want to hurt it."

The angel pouted, looking around while shaking his head, his messy locks of silver hair bouncing. He felt like playing cold. "Pet it like how you pet me."

Chanyeol paused for a moment, taking small breaths and looking like he was doing his best not to make a single mistake, but then he tested his petting skills on Baekhyun who was once again reduced to a heart broken mess.

His hand was so warm, and even in their roughness, they radiated comfort and care.

With his fingers, Chanyeol had untangled Baekhyun's hair and fixed the messy arrangement -- brushed away the knots and tamed the ends, but he didn't stop there. He caressed and touched the gentlest he can until he had Baekhyun's relatively large ear tucked between his fingers. He gave it a gentle pinch, as he tilted his head with narrowed eyes.

"We should give the cat a name."

The angel looked away, unable to deal with the beat between his ear and inside his chest. The beach looked beautiful, he'd focus on that instead of the fairy boy. "Go ahead, give it one."

The pilot shook his head like he had a decision that cannot be reversed.

"You're in this, too," Chanyeol sulked earnestly. "It's our baby now. We both have responsibilities. Let's name it together."

With that, Baekhyun had become completely red, and he was seconds away from falling into the floor until Chanyeol pulled him back with a deliberately gentle, guiding hold. Chanyeol was unaware of how much it had affected the angel, so he just kept petting him instead of the cat, who had began to ask for attention by slipping between the both of them and purred.

"Baekhyun, think of something... He's getting impatient," Chanyeol licked his lips while getting Baekhyun to look at him.

"Y-You suggested it. You think of something first," the angel resisted.

"Chanhyun."

Baekhyun flinched, hearing the deep voice utter a word in such a firm and confident tone. 

When he had his eyes on Chanyeol, he watched the pilot glow under the blue-yellow cast of the world outside. He had this clumsy look on his face, even though he was a person who took great care in everything he did -- a naturally gentle soul. Baekhyun had finally found the true gentle sun, and it gave him quick flashbacks to his hand against a gentle sun's light, casting shadows on himself. Chanyeol was different. He was a spark of violent color yet a comforting cast of warmth.

Except for the pink in his cheeks.

"What kind of name is Chanhyun? Sounds weird... Is it from your planet? It isn't a common name in Yaia..." Baekhyun rubbed his eyes.

"Not really," the giant bit his lip, and his lips curled at the corners unbeknownst to Baekhyun. "It's both of our names smashed together. Isn't that how you name things and babies? Chan, from _Chan_ yeol. Hyun, from I love you, Baek _hyun_."

Chanyeol smirked with overwhelming arrogance and smugness, while Baekhyun didn't blame himself for falling again.

Later that day, they decided to swim in the iridescent, rose blue sea. 

They realized that they both weren't trained much in swimming, as most of their jobs happened in space and land, and aquatic planets weren't that common. Still, no fears left, they chose to float.

Nothing bad could ever happen here, after all.

Baekhyun fared better, Chanyeol thought so because real angels have always looked effortless suspended in fluid like gases or water. Therefore, with control of the situation, Baekhyun made a shallow dive, prompting Chanyeol to follow him.

Chanyeol really tried his best, and he kept kicking his feet and trying to dive -- Baekhyun was enjoying himself. When Chanyeol succeeded, it was actually because of Baekhyun, who pulled him into a kiss down in deep underwater. 

It was impractical, and it was messy. At the tiny moment they were able to open their eyes, the world was filled with the entire spectrum of blues and pinks that glowed like light.

In the afternoon, they tried cooking dinner. Not even for the food, but for the process of cooking and messing it up.

Baekhyun was simply horrible. At least Chanyeol had watched Yoora and cooked for himself sometimes. After what seemed like a lot of fire jumping out of weird stoves, emptied bowls of leaf that were nowhere to be found in the final product, and hijinks that involved back hugs, stolen kisses, head pats, ass pats, and Baekhyun being lifted up and kissed tenderly while Chanyeol's cheeks were warmed up by gentle hands -- they ended up with a mountain of colorless hard tacks on a plate.

They ate in the dinner table, just to try the friendly sport of footsie. It resulted in naughty pinches and affectionate bickering. Baekhyun called the hard tacks an affectionate name of "Terran glue." Chanyeol begrudgingly ate everything, and they gave Chanhyun a bowl of cat food.

At night, they fucked, to offset the madness of all the soft emotions.

They had sex multiple times, but each time was filled with so many kisses that their lips began to taste of each other, as did their tongues. They screwed so many times, in all positions they could, just to see how many ways they could climax while holding hands. 

They came so many times, a lot of those caused by soft whispers of I love you's and each other's names.

They slept, somewhere between midnight and morning, after taking a warm bath with fireflies that spied on them without reason. Baekhyun completely believed it was Chanyeol's subconscious idea of a romantic scene, and he couldn't deny that he agreed, now that he had experienced it to its fullest.

On the bed, they giggled as they recounted what was left of the good memories they had from the past, and the people that made them possible. Chanyeol told Baekhyun about his nice robot sister named Yoora, a moody kid named Windy, a silly but kind father figure named Aqua, and a snarky but caring friend Kaiser. Baekhyun told stories about the lightning fast Jongin, the powerful Kyungsoo, his kind big brothers Baekbeom and Heechul. When there was nothing left and the memories had run out, they told stories about each other, and when they realized they fell in love.

"It was when I saw you in my city. I realized that in an ideal world created for me, you would've been there from the start," Chanyeol's thumb ran over Baekhyun's fingers carefully, "I would've liked you from afar."

Baekhyun felt bashful, and simply surrendered to avoiding heavy stares that made him feel like he needed to confess, "I didn't know when I realized. Maybe I never had to."

"You're just forgetful."

"It felt natural to fall for you," Baekhyun smiled. "It's true, after all. Soulmates."

Chanyeol tried to remember everything, and he kept each word in his heart -- each inflection, each expression. Because if he forgot a tiny second of Baekhyun's happiness, what was the point of being able to remember? Just like that, they fell asleep, holding hands but not hugging -- that was too intimate. All their heat and feelings settled in their interlocked fingers, touches so gentle and fluttering that they were the equivalent of whispered love confessions.

The second day (hour) started with Baekhyun waking up to Chanyeol's beautiful smile, instead of an uncaring universe.

This was the first time he was thankful he woke up to another day. Chanyeol made him excited to live another day.

They spent the morning by having sex, a slow one that was meant to be a dance just until the sun had risen. After their bodies were relaxed and blissful and reminded of their connection, Chanyeol brought up his plan of going somewhere special tomorrow. Baekhyun agreed without hesitation, saying that he wanted to travel with Chanyeol and see if he really was his perfect match.

When asked what place would be their first destination, they both said: "Wedding."

_Shall I stay?_

_Would it be a sin_

_If I can't help falling in love with you?_

During lunch of the second day (hour), they had their wedding in a defunct building overlooking the skyscrapers of Neo Seoul. 

They had all the necessary elements for a wedding: _Chanyeol and Baekhyun._

Terran weddings weren't fancy, they weren't meant to be. Terran weddings were unsung acts of rebellion by people whose love weren't recognized. They were, by nature, acts of undying love.

So they just consummated the ceremony by jumping off the building.

Their hands were locked together and their eyes lingered on each other, as the world around them turned into a simple, abstract painting of rainbows.

To double the power of their wedding, they found themselves under the three suns of Yaia, where a shower of pink flowers and a rain dance consummated the bond of soulmates, all based on the mythology of Uto and Pia.

"I found your weakness," Baekhyun said with a mischievous smile, hands folded behind his back as he danced with intricate Fides footwork that he was surprised he hadn't forgotten. He figured that maybe finding a soulmate and dancing had always been at the back of his mind, and this was why his mind had retained memories of Yaian soulmate bonds where everyone was happy. Chanyeol was trying to catch up to Baekhyun's sharp footwork, because the smaller one didn't bother to teach him and found amusement in his confusion. The soil under their soles kept them in place, and the sky had rumbled with quiet thunders that didn't scare Baekhyun anymore.

Their white robes were soaked in the rain, but the benefit of it was how much it showed Chanyeol's chest heaving from the dancing, and how much the water traced his face, his smile. And how it covered up tears. Chanyeol thought Baekhyun was in his element in this beautiful, esoteric world. 

Dancing so gracefully, like he never had a single tiresome, lonely day. Chanyeol's husband was an angel and the very spirit of spring and blossoming flowers.

"Look in the mirror," the giant had rasped in response. He took a lot of time before he could devise an answer -- he wanted to savor every moment of Baekhyun dancing in the rain shower and smiling at him like he was the love of his youthful life. Chanyeol then twirled like an idiot and taking Baekhyun by surprise, giving him an unplanned piggy back ride to nowhere in particular, getting Baekhyun so wet and the target of so many unmoving trees and their pesky leaves.

"I'm not an umbrella, Chanyeol!" The angel had squealed which made Chanyeol laugh like a boyish kid. He felt like he was flying.

"That's not the point," the pilot laughed, "you're my wings."

Baekhyun felt many butterflies, and Chanyeol felt them too.

_Like a river flows surely to the sea_

_Darling so it goes_

_Some things are meant to be_

The third day (hour) was spent dancing as the world around them broke apart. 

Baekhyun cried, because he was so happy. 

They were both in these silly suits Chanhyun had pawed on straight out of some random catalog, but it made them look coordinated for an unknown special event. Baekhyun let Chanyeol know that he was happy as they stared at each other, swaying aimlessly despite the world falling into ruin.

Baekhyun held Chanyeol's face, and made sure his hands were keeping his cheeks warm, as this had been his own version of "I love you." 

_Take my hand, take my whole life too_

_For I can't help falling in love with you_

"Thank you for everything," Baekhyun whispered, eyes staring at his universe, "you gave me the world."

Chanyeol was the one who had tears, despite the way he tried to keep himself together. His deep voice turned soft and weak, but Chanyeol thought it was the strongest he had ever been.

"It was only three days. I could've given you more if I..."

"Then the three days of my life makes it the happiest anyone has lived." Baekhyun didn't cry, he didn't want tears to disrupt his memory. 

"I never thought I'd be the happiest person in the universe, Chanyeol."

Baekhyun chuckled, so full of life, "you're really amazing. I have loved you, and it's the greatest thing I've done."

And they swayed to the music, the song that had been looping ever since the journey started. The world Chanyeol created with his mind was being torn apart, black lines that ran everywhere, eating everything that he ever wanted to the tune of his favorite song, while he was in the arms of the only person he'll ever love.

"You're the only person in the universe," Chanyeol whispered, heartbroken.

"Don't say that," Baekhyun lightly kissed the corner of Chanyeol's lips, wrapping his arms around his neck, "you're also here."

"No one else matters."

"You matter," Baekhyun touched Chanyeol's heart, and kissed him with a thankful smile, "when I'm gone, there's still so much love left for you. You deserve all the love in the world, so much more than what I've given."

Chanyeol grit his teeth, and the sound of the radio had been drowned by the sky cracking, the froths of the seas exploding, the stars falling and causing forgettable fires. Their little home was simply turning into colorful dusts of rainbow colors. None of that mattered. Even if the world became completely dark, Baekhyun didn't feel scared anymore, because they were holding hands, and sharing breaths, and they were together.

Even if they were reduced to nothingness, they existed as love. They will disperse into the brightest stardusts in the nothingness of the universe.

_Take my hand, take my whole life too_

_For I can't help falling in love with you_

 

"My world ends with you."

 

 

 

 

 

Once everything was gone, they found themselves in a spaceship, floating in a starless space.

Chanyeol was the pilot, and Baekhyun was the guiding angel by his side.

They looked at each other, and laughed because they thought they'd never meet again. But they were still here, and all those tears seemed funny now that they were still together.

They couldn't hear each other, but they knew where to go.

Baekhyun took a moment to point to the light in front, because that's were all stars wanted to go. When he looked at Chanyeol, he wasn't there anymore, and he was all alone.

END


	3. EPILOGUE

Chanyeol lost an eye.

In fact, it was still bleeding as he left the mothership, and Kyungsoo couldn't do anything but throw a first aid pack at him and hope the eye heals itself in the journey. The eye was busted though, never to be used again as it had become fully white, and Chanyeol simply wiped the blood off as he steered his way through the shortcut. He didn't need it; what he needed was time. Chanyeol didn't want to wait even if it killed him.

Across the universe, his ship, the Galahad of pure blue, had ripped through the space with its fire, covering distance like it was nothing. It's the absolute seconds that kept him behind, and there was a high chance that the fleet had already reached the coordinates while he laid knocked out from the end of Space Porn Ultra.

Chanyeol swore, piloting recklessly as he dealt with his one eye and the lost of his depth perception, that he'll never lose again. This was nothing, he told himself as debris almost crashed into his viewport before he was able to make a sharp turn.

"Not now, not now," he said, shrugging off the impact and just choosing to ungracefully force the ship through the jump point, no elegance, no tact, no regard for personal safety. 

Blitz didn't just lose an eye. He lost half of him.

When he reached there, he was ready to take on armed angels, but he had fired a few wasted shots before he noticed that white-red fighter cruises were just falling off and crashing among themselves, perishing without the assistance of the Exordials.

The black winged fighters merely floated around the Arcangel base, yellow-gold sparking behind them, as they were idle in celebration. Chanyeol didn't know whether he was supposed to find this funny or if he was supposed to cry.

_What a fucking beautiful scene._

"Blitz, can you hear me? This is Kaiser," the static blared with Kyungsoo's controlled speech.

Chanyeol's jaw was locked, and he scanned through the ships to figure out where Sehun was, but the pilot could only interpret that the younger was lost in the sea of identical space ships. They must be going for a collective ambush -- Chanyeol didn't really know, he didn't listen when Junmyeon was giving him the rundown. 

With bare minimum caution, he then proceeded to glide through to what seemed like the entrance of the space station. He rounded the perimeter, and barely took in what it looked like -- save from the fact that it was a white disk lined with gigantic red cannons, and it was in front of a red planet that was constantly burning in pink, and spew explosive blue fire here outwards here and there.

"I have a message from the leader," Kyungsoo continued.

"Affirmative," Chanyeol spared a word.

_"Bringing Captain BB for question is not necessary. If he shows malicious intent, kill him."_

The pilot snapped out of his pain-fueled rage with a sharp stop, and he hovered just above the gateway he had planned to crash. The gravity was pulling him into the ship, but he didn't know if that was the planet or not.

"Did Windy receive this message, too?" Chanyeol spoke darkly.

"Yes."

"I see, yeah," Chanyeol took in a deep breath before his eyes narrowed and he drove to the gate, whose entrance just fell open into the other side of the universe with a single blast. "Think about that carefully, Kaiser."

"I happen to know that captain, Chanyeol," Kyungsoo mumbled, voiced laced in sadness.

"Then why do you want him killed? Change of heart?" Chanyeol chuckled bitterly.

"You don't understand," Kyungsoo gritted his teeth, "he would've wanted to die human, not a monster."

With that, Kyungsoo didn't speak anymore, and Chanyeol simply went ahead and entered the angel's den.

When he had set foot on the surface, the pilot immediately noticed something in the air.

All the guards were knocked out. That was a nicer way to say they had been dead for a few days.

Chanyeol spared a moment simply because lost souls were still souls, and then he kept his helmet tight on his face and started to run through red hallways of the infinitely white spacecraft. It was a silent trip, but that didn't mean it was peaceful as he kept running into piles of bodies that seemed to be in painless, breathless slumber. All these arms, all these legs. Blasted eyeballs. No air.

Chanyeol had a feeling. 

Gun in his hand, he tried to follow the rule of his instincts. It led him to the control room that was not hidden at all, rather, it was being celebrated and put at the forefront of danger. Chanyeol kept walking, even as he was confronted with dead angels, with their shining golden eyes and their alien corpses.

He had just luck on his side that day it seemed, as he reached the opened door of the control room. A large, concave viewport framed by red and white was the primary set piece of the room, and overlooking it was a seated figure who looked at the scene with lonely, glowing eyes.

Silver.

 

 

 

 

 

Baekhyun barely had the strength to turn around, he was tired and his suit, his second skin, was dirty with blood and dirt.

The visitors he had expected and invited have finally arrived on his death ship, marking the convergence of all of Baekhyun's efforts, all of the plans he had thought in place of every body he had added to his kill count. 

He was going to die that day finally, and it wasn't that bad -- he had chosen the way he'd go out, under the circumstances given to him by whoever was running this cruel universe. This was all thanks to the kind people who helped him execute this final blunder.

_I can finally rest._

He had to silence everyone outside -- all the corrupt angels who had golden eyes that only cared about quenching their thirst for blood. He wasn't as much a captain as he was a scapegoat, despite everything he did. But there was validation in not being a good angel, it meant that Baekhyun made a better human being, and that he wasn't good at being truly evil.

That said, he was still a murderer, not a happily married youth like he wanted to be, forever.

But, this was not a unique story.

Looking at the planet burning in front of him, Baekhyun remembered the final days of the previous captain BB. 

_I'm sorry, he whispered as poured the contents of the needle down Baekhyun's throat._  
We both loved, didn't we? Who would want to blow up the planet they loved?  
But, consider this salvation. 

You only have to live a few years.  
Wear your silver eyes, knowing that your misery is not forever. In this cruel universe, this is the least painful way out I could give you. I'm sorry, my child.

Do robots dream? 

Baekhyun pondered the question as he smiled, watching the angry planet color the sky with blue, accenting the presence of the precious soldiers that have found him. He's finally done.

Game over.

 

 

"So, this is your retirement plan."

 

Baekhyun's eyes flickered with a small light of hope.

 

It's Chanyeol's voice, no doubt about it.

What Baekhyun was unsure of, was if it's actually the real Chanyeol, the love of his life, or a psychological representation of a life ending. Speaking of, he had been thinking a lot about heaven. An angel like him wouldn't be able to enter. But if heaven was exactly like they described it,

then technically, Baekhyun had already experienced it.

"Tough luck. I won't let you," so brave, so kind, never faltering.

Baekhyun couldn't turn around, not just because he thought he didn't deserve such sweet heaven, but also because he was paralyzed and suffering from constant electric shocks through his body -- they have become his pulse and his blood. This was why that little game was such a perfect therapy. 

Someone who cared for Baekhyun had sensed his distress, and guided him around.

Chanyeol was breathless, at his beauty, at his resilience. There was a line of blood staining his face, but it was nothing compared to the redness of his lips. Meanwhile, Baekhyun has never believed in magic. But there was something in Chanyeol that told him fantasies were real.

 

At that moment, they both thought they saw the most beautiful eyes in the universe.

 

"I'll kiss you."

Baekhyun simply smiled. "I was afraid you wouldn't ask."

"Why not?" Chanyeol leaned down, and his resolve was to never stop living their moment.

"This is what I really am, frail and bloodied," Baekhyun's mouth fell open, ticked by Chanyeol's hot breath.

"I love you all the same, I love your everything, anything else be damned."

And their lips touched, their breaths mingled, their hearts were in sync, and their souls finally bonded. It was a whisper and a pact, in the language only the two of them knew.

 _A kiss can do this to my soul_ , Baekhyun thought as they pulled away from each other, for more words.

Chanyeol grabbed his hand and ran his thumb on the soft, bloodied skin, gentle smile so soft and comforting. Baekhyun didn't tell him it hurt, because Chanyeol can never hurt him.

"Run away with me?" The pilot proposed earnestly.

Baekhyun chuckled, head over heels in love. "That would require me being able to run, idiot."

Chanyeol caressed his cheek, blatantly plagiarizing Baekhyun's personal interpretation of an _I love you_.

"I was thinking you'd fly."

He poked Baekhyun's nose, and then traced his lips. He continued in the softest voice imaginable, with the fondest eyes, "and you'd coincidentally be on my back, too. Coincidentally."

"You'd be disappointed," Baekhyun looked down, even as his smile was still. It was a tempting offer to paradise.

"The rest of the universe is disappointing compared to the one where we married, and adopted a cat."

"When I said that that was the best life I've lived, I meant it," Baekhyun laughed alone. Chanyeol desperately tried to carve the sound in his mind.

The sun was setting.

"Pull the trigger, Chanyeol."

"I'd rather pull it on myself."

"You gave me life, you take it."

"And live the rest of my life in misery? I'm not as selfless as you think. I fucking love you. I'm selfish, too."

"Why would you be sad?" Baekhyun was caught up in his failing breaths. "I would rather die by your hands, in your arms. It won't be suffering."

"You'll leave me behind, with all of the pain and all of the time I have to live out," the pilot growled, eyes full of anger and frustration and pain. Baekhyun hated himself again for making him feel this way.

"You're right, I'm sorry," Baekhyun breathed. "Then mourn as you want, then forget me."

 

Chanyeol saw the many freights locking into their formation behind Baekhyun, but he couldn't care less. To him, they were just useless stars scattered across his universe.

 

With that, he raised his gun, and pointed it at Baekhyun's head. His finger was resting on the trigger, as softly as Baekhyun's eyes became.

"Is this what you want?"

Silence.

Chanyeol kept his hand from trembling. He didn't want to worry him.

Fortunately, the angel was nothing but contentment, comfort, and gratitude.

"I love you."

"I won't say it back, so stay."

"I know you love me back. It's why you're doing this."

_Fuck. Fuck. Fuck._

Chanyeol hated this cruel universe.

But then again, what else is new?

Baekhyun hummed with a little, pure smile.

 

_"You even gave me a happy ending."_

 

One gun shot. 

 

 

Two happy endings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_Sometimes you picture me_

I'm walking too far ahead

You're calling to me, I can't hear

What you've said  
"Yes! Cindy Lopper!"

The robed android did a quick victory dance that resembled a combined shuffle of about three other planets.

He moved his body, and it was unnatural and too bendy, but at that moment, the android was fully enjoying himself, because everything was right in the universe.

Minseok really liked the radio from that young man's ship. It was a well-worth trade off for that random serum labeled _freedom_. The music made working on his broken, overachiever boyfriend more enjoyable, especially since he got to hear so many songs from the places they both had memories in, reliving the adrenaline and the emotions without actually having to go there. It was like a teleportation device, but for music. His boyfriend would've loved it if he was awake.

For context -- and Minseok will always tell this story at Lightbearer parties and subsequent emergency meetings -- He and his boyfriend were both wild travelers who were famous for being joined at the hip. That was until Jongdae decided to be a hermit in some random, irrelevant planet, playing video games or whatever the fuck to pass the time. Even in this shut-in state, though, he was always able to turn in significant amounts of data to the network. That cemented Minseok's status as the boyfriend of a superstar.

But, that was not the core essence of their relationship. Minseok had always loved his boyfriend for his passion and the fire in his robot eyes, even though sometimes he just goes way over the top, perhaps due to his upbringing. Jongdae was, after all, raised by wolves, the great beasts of the Ebio Kingdom. 

Still, Minseok knew something the others didn't. Jongdae was an android who was the closest to learning love.

That must be true, since Minseok started to understand what it was, too. As much as love for biological creatures were chemical reactions, love between codes were logical reactions. Minseok felt like he gained another worldview, just for that.

_Then you say, go slow_

I fall behind

The second hand unwinds

"Jongdae! You're awake!" Minseok freaked out as he saw the busted android, with a really bad head situation, sat up with a twitching body and a twitching kittenish pout.

"Hi, Minseok," he said with his soft voice. Smiling, Jongdae said, "I just lost everything I've ever loved."

The older android's lip twitched.

"Except you."

"Well, maybe if you spent more time with your boyfriend," Minseok huffed while swinging the wrench, making Jongdae flinch here and there.

"I was bored, you know?" The older lightbearer didn't let the younger's hands stop him from fixing that blasted eye socket. The gruesome scene almost looked comical against the state of their home -- it was a straw hut in the middle of nowhere, with knitted pillowcases, blankets, and potted plants. Numerous, badly made stuffed toys of space vampires were scattered on the faux-fur floor.

"That is because you never do anything, Minseok," Jongdae bravely said, even if he knew it was so controversial. 

"How dare you, I did something," Minseok shrugged and prepared the bolts, "you had me playing cupid around the universe."

"Well, that was what I was doing too," Jongdae murmured as he sadly rubbed his head. "But I paired two idiots up.."

"Two idiots... Me too, what are the odds?" Minseok grinned. "Well, I hope it went well for them. Otherwise, that'd just be sad. I was rooting for them."

The room was filled with a heavy silence.

"They are okay, against all the odds."

_If you're lost, you can look and you will find me_

Time after time

If you fall, I will catch you, I will be waiting

Time after time

We interrupt your Very Old Music Monday to deliver your news.  
Hey fellow Exordials! It's your boy Kyungsoo McAdams 3000, here to summarize all the news you ignored earlier during the morning broadcast. Who am I kidding, all of you are fangirls and fanboys of that damn Blitz. Our listener ratings were off the charts and I don't know what to do with that information.

Anyway, first up, we encourage you not to take items from strangers, unless you feel that they will be convenient later. Right, Sehun?

_Right. The one time I took something from a stranger, it was an L._

What?

_I took the L._

Okay... Let's move on.

The game Space Porn Ultra had been shut down inexplicably, but there were no casualties despite the unexpected termination of the game's connection to the users' neural network. Do you think it's ever coming back, Sehun?

_I don't really care... Virtual Pet is offline too, and that's the only thing that matters to me... You see, everyday, I'm just looking forward to feeding my baby Vivi and seeing him completely ignore my existence... Now that the server is out without notice, how will he eat?_

Oh dear... Well, it's unfortunate for these two totally separate incidents to have dawned on our community, but it's just a reminder not to be too attached to temporary things, including online properties that can be taken down any moment.

Second in line is the news on our acquisition of the Arcangel base. We have completely scaled its area along with overseers from the Galactic Sodality. Meaning, it is the EXODUS' property now without impeding on the rules set by the Territory Council, and now we have new subjects and data available in the lab for the nerds.

Thirdly, we ask all of you not to speak of Blitz, as he is away on a special mission permitted by our leader, Kyungsoo. No. President Aqua. We ask you not to talk about him, nor the fugitive that he was with. This will be added to the banned things list that will put you to trial, right under having party poppers and not knocking on the President's office before you enter.

And lastly, if you meet anyone named Jongin in one of your travels, please tell him that Kyungsoo is alive, and he volunteers at many embassies around the Aquarian region, so he'll be accessible as long as he calls. Please tell him that he still owes Kyungsoo fifteen meals, twelve massages, and fourteen dates. Kyungsoo is waiting patiently, so he should come soon. 

That's all. Thank you everyone, for making the mission a success and coming back home safely.

Kyungsoo Mcadams 3000, signing off. Until next time, Exordials.  
Stay alert.  
We are the hope of humanity.


End file.
